Break Out
by CTI-Jenn
Summary: When Jules goes into a prison to question the brother of a subject, she gets more than she bargained for. For the rest of the team, especially Sam, a hot call had never felt more personal. Story takes place between Slow Burn and Broken Peace. CH. 12 POSTED 2/23/14
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: I'm having a little block with both Past is Present and Re-Education but I promise I will get back to them as soon as I can. However, in the meantime, this idea came to me one night while I was asleep and has been rumbling around in my mind for several days. Not sure how long it will be but I hope you enjoy it. This story takes place between Slow Burn and Broken Peace. That's starting to be one of my favorite time frames because we know Jules and Sam have been given the green light to date and it's fun to explore what might have happened between Season 4 and Season 5.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

Break Out

Chapter 1

A young man no more than twenty-two wearing a suicide bomb around his waist with the trigger clasped firmly in his hand was threatening a crowd in a mall. He was sweating profusely and his hand was shaking uncontrollably. At any moment he could depress the button and blow himself and the food court of the mall to smithereens.

Team One was determined not to let that happen. Sam Braddock and Ed Lane were both in position on the second floor of the mall on opposite sides, their Remy's trained on the would be bomber in case their intervention was needed to prevent a senseless tragedy. Sgt. Greg Parker was handling negotiations with Raf and Spike covering him. Spike, for his part, was also studying the bomb as closely as he could looking for any weakness in the design that would bring this to a successful closure. The sixth and final member of the team, Jules Callaghan, was trying to gather as much information as she could find on the subject so she could feed the information to Greg. So far, the subject himself was not giving them anything to work with.

So far, all they knew was what they could see before them. The subject hadn't shared any information, not about who he was ultimately targeting, why he was wearing a bomb, or even who he was. Currently Jules was running his image through all available databases. Finally, her efforts were rewarded.

"Sarge, got a name. Our subject is Gary Browning. No priors and no history of mental issues. Broadening my search now to see if I can find any relatives." Jules supplied through her head set.

Quietly Greg acknowledged the information. It was hard to negotiate with someone who refused to talk but he knew he had to try. He never wanted to call Scorpio unless there was really no other option but at the same time he couldn't allow this man to detonate the bomb. He glanced at his demolitions expert. "Spike, are we sure the bomb is real?"

Spike nodded. He wasn't close enough to the subject or the bomb to do much good but he could confirm what his eyes could tell him. "Yeah, Boss, it's the real deal, looks pretty crude and homemade but it'll do the damage as well as a professionally made setup. That detonator is real as well. I can't tell if there's a dead man's switch though."

The possibility of such a switch was one of the things, along with the desire not to take a man's life if it wasn't necessary, that kept Greg from wanting to call Scorpio until there was no other option. If the device did have a dead man's switch, then the bomb would automatically detonate if they shot the subject. Greg sighed, it would be nice to know whether they were dealing with a dead man's switch but he couldn't blame Spike for not being able to tell. "Copy that, Spike."

Then he raised his voice so that the subject could hear him. "Sir, I'd really like to talk to you about what's going on here today. I'd like for us to work things out so we can all go home safely. Can we make that happen?"

"Go away. I don't want to talk to you. You don't care. You're just worried about all these other people. You don't care what happens to me. No one does."

"That's not true. I want to protect you as well. If you detonate that bomb, you'll be killed. I don't want that. No one on my team wants that. So let's make sure no one- yourself included- gets hurt today. Let's talk about what you want."

Browning shook his head. "You can't give me what I want. No one can. So just shut up and leave me alone."

"Boss, the only living relative Browning has is a brother, Barrett Browning."

Greg resisted the natural urge to nod. Jules couldn't see the gesture in the truck and he didn't want Gary to think he was agreeing to what he wanted. "That's good Jules, get a uni dispatched to bring him here. We may can use him as a TPI. At the very least he might can give us some insight as to why Gary is doing this."

"No can do." Jules supplied almost immediately. "Barrett is currently remanded at The East awaiting trial for armed robbery and attempted murder."

Greg took a calming breath. "Let me guess, the robbery occurred at this mall?"

"Got it in one. That's why we call you Boss. Says here a security guard was shot during the robbery in the food court when he confronted Browning during the robbery. Police arrested Barrett on the scene kneeling over the guard."

Greg looked over at Gary Browning. The subject hadn't moved from his spot but it was clear that he was becoming more agitated by the minute. "Okay, you know how I don't like coincidences. I'm thinking there might be a connection. Jules, get over there and talk to Barrett; see what he has to say."

"Copy that, Boss. Winnie, put in a call to the warden and let him know I'm on my way."

"Gary? That's your name, right? Gary Browning? You say I can't give you what you want. That must mean there is something you do want. How about let's talk about that? I can't make promises but you don't know what I can or can't do until you try me."

"You can't. No one can. You can't undo what's been done. You can't change the past."

Now Greg did nod. "You're talking about the robbery that happened here? The one your brother is on trial for?"

The hand holding the detonator began shaking even more. Tears joined the sweat on the man's face. "Yeah. The one he's on trial for."

- FP - FP - FP -

It only took Jules about ten minutes to reach Toronto East Detention Centre, commonly referred to as The East. Not bad timing giving the distance and the traffic, but each minute seemed more like an hour. The rest of her team was facing down a man with a bomb strapped to him and a detonator in his hand. Every minute was critical during a call and they didn't have time to waste.

She parked in a space right in front of the detention block that housed Barrett. Normally vehicles weren't allowed this far in, but given the nature of her job, she'd secured special permission. Before going into the building, she went to the back of the SUV and removed her Glock from its holster. She secured the handgun in the lockbox they kept in the back of the vehicle. Even as a officer, she wouldn't be allowed to carry her gun into the building, and she'd rather have it locked securely in the SUV than held in a lock box inside. After locking the SUV, she ran up the stairs to the building.

She was greeted inside by the warden. He shook her hand as they exchanged names. He led her down the hall without preamble, knowing time was of the essences. "Winnie Camden explained the situation your team is facing. I've had Barrett Browning brought to one of the private visitation rooms we reserve for meetings between prisoners and their lawyers. We haven't told him what was going on."

Jules nodded. "What can you tell me about Barrett?"

"Not much to tell. He's been here six months awaiting his trial. He hasn't caused any trouble but he's been involved in several skirmishes."

Jules frowned. "Skirmishes?"

The warden nodded. "It's never easy for new inmates; we do everything we can to protect them but we can't be everywhere. Because he's so quiet and tries to keep to himself, the other inmates have made him a easy target. He's been admitted to our infirmary several times after being beaten."

"Has his brother been to visit him? Does Gary know he's been hurt?" Knowing that his brother had been injure during his incarceration could be incentive to do something desperate.

The warden shook his head. "He's had no visitors in the time he's been here, so I know his brother hasn't seen his injuries. There have been several phone calls both in and out to his brother but I don't know if he told his brother what happened. If I had to guess, I would say he hasn't said anything. From the talks I've had with Barrett, I get the feeling he tries to protect his younger brother as much as possible."

Jules thought about her own older brothers and the things they had done or kept from her over the years trying to protect her. She knew Sam tried to do the same with Natalie as much as the free-spirited younger woman would allow. She wondered if older brothers were born with that protective instinct or if it was instilled in them somehow at the birth of a younger sibling.

The warden opened the door to the consultation room. Glancing inside, Jules could see Barrett was already sitting in the room. Before she could enter, the warden touched her arm. "I know you are trained to handle yourself and I don't anticipate him giving you any trouble, but there will be at least one guard outside the door at all times. If you need anything, just let him know. When you are finished, he'll direct you out."

Jules nodded. "Thanks for you help."

As he moved away, Jules stepped into the room. Barrett, who wasn't but a couple of years older than his brother, looked surprised to see her. He stood as she came closer. Jules wondered at the gentleman-like gesture that seemed out of place in a prison. She studied him carefully as she sat down, noting he didn't retake his seat until she was sitting. Bruises of various degrees of healing covered his face and his left wrist was in a lightweight brace, not surprising considering what she'd been told he'd been through during his stay.

"Mr. Browning, I'm Jules Callaghan with the Metro Police Strategic Response Unit. I need to ask you a few questions about your brother."

The inmate's eyes narrowed and he suddenly looked more dangerous than he had just a moment earlier. Jules wasn't afraid however. Even if he did attack, she was sure she could subdue him without getting hurt. He leaned forward, his fingers gripping the edge of the table in front of him. "Leave my brother the hell alone."

Jules didn't look intimidated in the slightest. "I wish I could. However, he's currently at the same mall you're accused of robbing with a bomb strapped to his body. He's threatening to kill himself and everyone around him."

Barrett slumped back in his seat and covered his face in his hands. The tell-tale silver bracelet around his right wrist with a chain hanging from it told Jules that he was shackled to his spot. Then he looked at her. "You can't let him do that. You've got to save him."

Jules nodded. "We're trying but he's not talking to us. I was hoping you could possibly help us help him. Do you have any idea why he might be doing this?"

"The guard that was shot during the robbery died last week. It's one of the reasons why I haven't gone to trial yet. The DA was waiting to see if the guard would recover. Since he didn't, the charges against me will be upgraded from attempted murder to murder. Means instead of five to ten years I could face twenty-five to life. Gary didn't take the news well. I told him not to worry about it; it's just years. It's not like I'll be facing a death penalty or anything like that. But Gary just couldn't see it that way."

Jules watched him carefully. There was something about his story that wasn't adding up to her but she couldn't quite figure it out. She thought about his words. _the guard that was shot_ not _the guard I shot_. Was he trying to distance himself from his actions or was there more to it? "What would Gary hope to accomplish today? Does he think he can get you free?"

"He can't fix this. He knows that. I don't know what he's thinking. He's just going to make things worse."

"How? How will he make things worse?" Obviously threatening to blow himself and others up wasn't a bright idea but she got the feeling Barrett meant more to his statement.

"I know I can't leave here; I wouldn't want Gary to see me anyway." Barrett blurted out, as if he hadn't heard her question. "If he sees these bruises, it'll just make things worse. But is there any way I can talk to him? I know I can convince him not to hurt anybody. Please." There was something about the earnestness in his face that reminded Jules of her own brothers.

She indicated the headset she was wearing. "Anything you said to me my boss - the man trying to talk to your brother- can hear. He can relay what you say to your brother."

- FP -

Sarge looked over at the young man who was threatening everyone. "Gary, one of my teammates is with your brother right now."

Gary's hand lowered just slightly but not enough for the threat to be over. He looked around expectantly. "Barrett? He's here? He's not in jail?"

Greg shook his head. "No, Gary; he's not here. My teammate went to The East to see him. Barrett is pretty concerned about you. He doesn't want anything to happen to you."

"They're charging him with murder. I can't let that happen. He's all I have left; he's protected me for so long and I've got to do everything I can to help him in return."

Greg could hear Jules relaying what Gary said to Barrett. "Is that what you are doing today? You think by coming in and threatening these people you can get the authorities to let Barrett go?"

"Don't you see, I have to do something to help him. He doesn't deserve jail."

Greg heard Barrett's next statement in his ear. He wasn't sure it was what Gary wanted to hear but it might be what he needed to hear. "Your brother says he doesn't want you to do this. Says he can handle being in jail as long as he knows you are living a productive life. Now the way I see it, you haven't hurt anyone yet. That's a good thing, that means things will go a lot easier on you if you give up now. You haven't made any choices you can't walk away from."

"You would think that, wouldn't you? If I give up now, my brother's going to go to jail for maybe the rest of his life. I'd rather die right now than to live the rest of my life knowing he's suffering in jail. It's not fair."

"Why is it not fair, Gary?"

- FP -

"Your brother says he'd rather die than live knowing you are suffering." Jules repeated to Barrett. "He says it isn't fair. Why isn't it fair, Barrett?" She could tell through the headset that Gary wasn't answering Sarge on the question so she hoped to get more out of the man sitting opposite her.

Barrett covered his face with his hands. Then he looked at Jules, his eyes blazing. "Tell him he promised. He promised not to throw his life away. He can't go back on that promise now. I'm his big brother and he has to do what I say. Tell him that."

The door opened behind Jules and the guard stuck his head in, alerted by the sudden shout. "Everything okay in here?"

Jules nodded. "Everything's fine. No problems."

She wasn't sure if he totally believed her or not but the guard closed the door. She looked at Barrett. "You didn't rob the mall did you? Or shoot the guard?"

There was a hint of something in his eyes that confirmed her theory but then he composed himself. "I'm in jail aren't I? Why would I be here if I weren't guilty?"

"Protecting your brother. See, I have four older brothers. There were times growing up they blamed me for things they did knowing that as the baby and the only girl in the family, I wouldn't get into trouble like they would. But there were plenty of times I was the guilty party. Plenty of times that I deserved every bit of punishment that I would receive if not more. But when my fat was really in the fire, when the trouble I was going to be in was great, my brothers would take the heat for me. I never asked them to; they'd just do it because they couldn't stand to see me in any real trouble. When I would protest and try to come forward and admit my part, they wouldn't let me. Said it was their duty as my brothers. Is that what you are doing now? Protecting Gary?"

Barrett laughed but it was humorless. "What do you take me for? A fool? You're a cop and I haven't been tried yet. Let's say your wild assumption is true; if I confess to you that I didn't do anything, you would be duty bound to testify to that at my trial. That would put my brother- if your assumption is true- at risk. Why would I do that?"

"Careful Jules." Sarge's voice was in her ear, unheard by Barrett. "If you are right, he's in full protective mode. He's gone through a lot to protect his brother; he's not going to go back on that easily."

"Copy that." Jules breathed out and then regarded Barrett carefully. "You want to protect your brother, right? You don't want anything to happen to him. I get that. But I also get what your brother is probably feeling right now. Guilt. Every time my brothers took the blame for me, the guilt I felt that they got into trouble in my place was overwhelming. To the point that I always confessed just to absolve myself of the feeling. No punishment that might have awaited me for confessing was greater than that guilt that they had suffered in my place. I'm betting that promise you wanted to remind him of was one to keep his mouth shut and not tell what really happened the night of the robbery. Now that promise is eating him alive. He can't tell the truth, but he can't watch you spend the rest of your life in jail. Right now he's thinking he'd rather die than do either. Is that what you want?"

Barrett shook his head. "Do you think your brothers would want that of you?"

"Then help us out. Give us what we need to make sure your brother walks out of that mall alive. If I'm right and he's the one responsible for the crime you are in jail for, why not let him take responsibility? Wouldn't jail be better than death? You said it yourself; it's just years."

Barrett glared at her. "Look at my face. I've only been here six months and look what the animals in here have done to me. I can handle it but Gary can't. I've always been tougher than him. I don't think he'd survive in here. It doesn't matter what I think though because he's not going to spend any time in jail. I'm admitting nothing. I was responsible for what happened in that mall, not Gary."

Jules could tell she was starting to reach him even if his words didn't agree. She could hear on the earpiece that Greg was starting to make leeway with Gary as well but by playing on the promise Barrett had mentioned. She took a deep breath. "He won't survive if he detonates that bomb. No matter how good my teammates are, they won't be able to do anything to save him if he decides to do that. It hasn't gone to trial yet; there's no way to know what kind of sentence he would get or where he would serve that sentence. Even if he did go to jail, at least there he would have a chance. If that bomb goes off, he has no chance at all. Which would you rather?"

"Jules, subject is in custody; bomb defused."

Jules didn't acknowledge Sarge's voice in her ear. She was glad that Gary was safe but she was pretty sure she knew what had really happened and wanted to push Barrett toward the truth. If she told Barrett his brother was safe, he would never admit what really happened during the robbery. The truth that both brothers needed out in the open. "Please, Barrett, what really happened that night? I know you love your brother; I can tell he means the world to you. Help him find peace."

For a moment he just stared at her and she could see the war going inside him. She didn't push him any further, wanting him to make the decision himself. Finally he sighed.

"I was always the troublemaker. From the time I was fourteen, I was in and out of juvie. Gary was the good son. Then my parents were killed in a car accident when I was twenty and Gary was eighteen. I decided then that I had to clean up my act for him. He needed me and I was determined to be there for him. My best wasn't good enough though. He got involved with a bad crowd; started listening to them more than he listened to me. He'd always had trouble making friends and suddenly he had all these guys acting like he was their best friend. I tried to warn him that they were using him but he wouldn't listen."

Jules nodded. "Let me guess; his new friends decided to do some after hours shopping at the mall that night?"

Barrett nodded. "Yeah, I was home when Gary called me. I'd never heard him sound that scared. He'd gone out with his friends thinking they were just going to hang out. Gary said he didn't know what they had planned until it was too late. When the alarm went off and the guard started chasing them, his so-called friends put the gun in his hands and ran. When he called he was hiding but he knew it was only a matter of time before the guard caught up with him. I told him I was coming for him and told him to try to get outside near the food court. I'd pick him up there and we'd figure out what to do. When the guard confronted Gary in the food court, Gary panicked. He'd never held a gun before and it went off accidentally. When I got there, the guard was already on the ground. I took the gun from Gary and told him to hightail it out of there and to never say a word to anyone. I thought I was helping him. Please don't let him die."

Jules took a steadying breath. "Barrett, Gary is safe. They talked him down and removed the threat of the bomb. He's okay."

Barrett nodded but didn't look as relieved as Jules would have thought that he would. He looked across the table at her; his eyes red with unshed tears. "Before or after I spilled my guts about what really happened?"

There was an edge to his voice that sounded dangerous. Jules didn't flinch however. "Does it matter? Your brother is going to be okay."

Barrett rubbed his face with his shackled hands. "He's okay for now but how long will he stay that way now that I've told the truth? I should have kept my mouth shut. Now you and your teammates are going to rat him out and they'll try to charge him instead of me. Are you happy? Is that what you wanted? Do you know what they'll do to him in here? They'll kill him and it'll be all my fault."

Jules felt bad for the young man who had only been trying to help his brother. "Barrett…"

Barrett stood abruptly, knocking over his chair in the process. He couldn't go anywhere because of the shackles. "No, it'll be your fault. If anything happens to my brother, it'll be your fault because you wouldn't leave things the hell alone. Guard, get in here. I'm through and want to go back to my cell."

"Barrett…" Jules started but the accused man shook his head, pointing at her.

"Don't. Don't say anything else. You've done enough. I guess I should thank your team for saving my brother's life. I only hope he lives long enough to appreciate it." Then he raised his voice again. "Guard."

The door opened again and once more the guard stuck his head in. He looked past Jules to Barrett who was still standing, looking agitated and ready to fight the world. "Easy Browning. You don't want to start messing around with an SRU constable. Don't let her size or gender fool you; only the best and toughest make it to Strategic Response. She can hand your ass back to you wrapped up in pretty paper and never break a sweat. She can make those bruises the other inmates gave you look like love taps."

Jules appreciated the fact that the guard hadn't come in like he had to save the day. Barrett set the chair back up and sat down again. He took several deep breaths as he tried to calm himself. "I'm not going to do anything stupid." He glared at Jules once again. "I don't do anything without thinking about the consequences. When I do act, it's because it's what's best for me and my brother."

Jules looked back at the guard. The nameplate on his chest listed his name as Parker Douglas. She couldn't help but smile at the fact that he and Sarge shared a common name. "Officer Douglas, we're through here. If you want to escort Mr. Browning back to his cell, I can find my own way out."

"I'm sure you can, Constable Callaghan, but procedure says I have to accompany you. Browning, Curtis will take you back. He just went to the head but he'll be back in a moment. Just sit tight until he gets here." Which was hilarious considering the inmate was shackled in place.

Jules followed the guard out of the room and down the hall. As soon as they were out of earshot of the room, Douglas shook his head. "I've been on this job for almost thirty years. Working in a maximum security prison, it's easy to get cynical. Easy to think you're minding monsters instead of human beings who made a bad choice somewhere down the road. I could have retired about five years ago, probably should have. Guys like Barrett Browning there are the reason I'm still here."

Jules regarded him carefully. "Why's that?"

"He's still human. He might have made mistakes but he's not going to let this place change him. He came in human and he'll leave out human as well." He stopped walking, his hands on his hips. "What the hell?"

The last question seemed so separate from the rest of what he was saying. Jules followed his gaze and saw the garbage bag sitting on the floor next to one wall. Alarm bells started going off in her head. "Sarge, we've got a suspicious package here."

"Suspicious package as in my kind of suspicious?" Spike answered instead.

"Maybe. I'm going to check it out." Jules advised. While she'd been talking into her headset, the guard had been moving toward the bag. He was almost on it. She frowned. "Officer Douglas, Parker, don't touch anything."

"No, it's okay. One of the monsters probably thought he'd get out of taking out the trash. I know how these guys are; they've got nothing better to do with their time but will still do anything to get out of work. I'll carry it out with us and then check to see who was on schedule for trash detail today."

Jules was about to remind him that he might know the inmates, but she knew suspicious packages. Before she could stop him, the guard had reached the bag and picked it up. For a moment, nothing happened and she let out a sigh of relief that she'd been wrong. She was even going to make a joke that his job might make him cynical but hers made her paranoid.

She didn't get a chance to say anything as there was a sudden blast that came straight from the bag in Douglas's hand. The concussive force flung her backward against the wall. She slumped down too dazed to be aware of the fire alarms going off or the concerned voices screaming her name in her ear. Then darkness closed over her completely.

- FP -

Author's Notes: So this is going to be a Jules whump kind of story which of course means there'll eventually be Sam comfort to follow. Sort of shakes of Just a Man coming in but still different. Right now I'm leaving the rating at a T but depending on how future chapters go, I might raise the rating to M.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: I appreciate all the reviews from Chapter 1. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. I hope the start of 2014 has been good for everyone. I only have a few days before my break ends and I go back to work so I'm hoping to make good use of the time. Language warning, there is one instance of the f-word used in this chapter. I'm not a fan of the word, but I think it's probably realistic to think inmates in a prison would use such harsh language. I'm still trying to decide if I need to up the rating for future chapters due to extremely harsh language and some adult situations. I prefer to err on the side of caution and put the rating too high than too low.

For those that are wanting more JAM moments, they will come. However the first few chapters will be more like a regular episode with glimpses into the character's thoughts and feelings.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

Break Out

Chapter 2

"Jules?" Sam screamed into his headset. His heart had skipped several beats when the explosion had blasted through his ear. Jules's name was repeated by every member of Team One after he called out to her. He held his breath expecting to hear coughing and then a report of "no harm." He was pretty sure that despite any reassurances, she would still be injured- the blast had sounded too close to her for her not to have been, but hearing her claim to be okay would at least temporarily make him feel better until he was on scene and could see her condition for himself.

"Jules, status report." Sarge's plea was the last one to come through. There was still no answer. There was not even the static and confusion that they should be hearing after such an explosion. It was just dead.

Ed shook his head. "Maybe her radio was damaged."

Raf frowned. "If it was bad enough to damage her radio, what would it have done to Jules?"

Sam didn't want to hear that. He wanted to hear that everything was fine. He would be worried if it had been anyone in the team in that position. This went way beyond that. It wasn't just that their teammate was by herself across town without back up during an explosion. This was Jules, and she was more than just a teammate. So much more. It was taking everything in him to be as calm as he was. He looked at Spike. "What do you think, Spike? How bad of an explosion was it?"

The demolition's expert looked positively sick. At any other time Sam would have realized that this explosion was reminding Spike of the one that had taken Lew. But it wasn't even in Sam's capabilities to think of that now. Spike shook his head. "I can't tell just from hearing the explosion. It was a damn explosion and maybe right on top of her. Isn't that bad enough? We gotta get there. What are we standing around here for?"

His question spurred everyone into motion. Without hesitation Sarge directed Sam and Spike toward the SUV he was going to while Ed and Raf went to the other. Sarge took a deep breath. "Winnie, get the warden back on the line. Find out what the hell just happened. Tell him we're en-route to the prison. Get Team Four on standby."

"Copy that, Boss."

Sarge climbed into the driver's side of the SUV. There was no way he was going to let either Sam or Spike drive. He knew Ed and Raf were concerned about Jules, but he also knew Jules's apparent plight would affect Sam and Spike more than the other two. Greg turned off his transmitter as he put the SUV into drive. He glanced at the other two and motioned for them to do the same.

"Sam, Spike, I know you're worried. I am too. However, we won't know what we're dealing with until we get there and get more information. For now, we have to trust that Jules can take care of herself. What I need to know right is that both of you can stay objective. I know you want to be involved in whatever is going on, and I don't particularly want to turn things completely over to Team 4. I don't think you want that either, but if it's what's best for Jules and what's going on at the prison, then I'll do it."

"We can handle it, Boss." Sam promised. He would promise anything to stay on the call. He would promise and then follow through with that promise. Not just because he didn't want to be left out of helping Jules but because failure to do so would have ramifications that would far exceed just this case. It wouldn't be the first time he'd had to push his concern and protective instinct aside to follow the priority of life. He'd done it when the bio lab had exploded a few months ago and Jules had been trapped inside, bleeding and breathing in dangerous anthrax spores. It had been hard, especially when he had to walk past Jules and rescue the injured civilian instead of scooping her up in his arms like he'd wanted to. It had been hard, but he'd done it. Because of that moment, he and Jules had proven themselves capable of handling a relationship while remaining on the team. No matter what, he would do the same now. Although he hoped that this time wouldn't prove to be as dangerous as that last time.

Spike didn't answer from his spot in the back seat of the SUV. Sarge glanced over to ther rearview mirror to look back at the young man who seemed lost in his thoughts. "Spike? Buddy, you okay?"

Finally Spike nodded ever so briefly, but he really wasn't sure what question he was answering. An explosion. Why was it always an explosion that threatened - sometimes more than threatened - his friends? Losing Lew to the land mine had been a worst nightmare come true. Sometimes still at night he woke up from nightmares reliving that moment when Lew stepped off the mine and ended any chance him of saving him. Sometimes those nightmares morphed so that instead of Lew it was one of his other teammates. More recently those nightmares also forced him to relive the moment of seeing the four dots that represented his friends and teammates disappear from the screen after David Fleming's men had set off the C4 charges in the Metro Evidence Depot. Those moments when he thought he'd led four of his friends to their deaths - again by explosion- would forever haunt him. Now, he had no way of knowing if Jules was alive or just seriously injured thanks to yet another explosion. Was there something he could have done differently? Could he have reacted quicker to her comment about a suspicious package that would have gotten her to safety before it exploded? Why hadn't he been the one gathering intelligence during the call instead of Jules? If he'd been there at the prison, wouldn't he have had a better chance of preventing whatever had exploded from being successful?

"Sarge," Winnie's voice came through all their headsets even though she was addressing Greg. "talked to the warden. Best he can tell, there were about a dozen simultaneous small-scale explosions all through Detention Block C. He's lost contact with the guards inside that building as well as CCTV. He believes the inmates in that block have tried to stage a break out but so far no one has emerged from the building, including Jules."

Sarge turned his transmitter back on. "Copy that. Go ahead and have Team Four respond as well. We're going to need the help."

"Copy that."

Greg glanced in the rearview mirror to where Spike still seemed more lost in his thoughts than present in the vehicle. "Spike, we're going to need floor plans for Detention C."

Broken from his reverie, Spike nodded and reached for his computer, pulling up the requested information. Sam looked over at Sarge. He was trying not to think about inmates in a maximum security prison trying to break out of the building Jules was trapped in. He could remember the last hot call that had taken them inside a prison's walls. Desperate men like that could do desperate things. They were hard to talk down because they had nothing to lose. "Are we still going to go in less lethal?"

Sarge nodded. "You know the answer without asking, Sam. Right now the best thing going about this situation is that our subjects are not armed."

Sam just looked at him. "Except for explosives. How the hell do inmates get their hands on explosives?

"Not that difficult." Spike muttered almost under his breath as he pulled up the schematics for the detention centre. "Between the laundry and the kitchen, they would have access to seemingly innocent materials that in the right hands could be rigged for a homemade explosive. Especially 'small-scale' explosions like the warden reported. All it would take is someone with a little chemistry know-how. "

Sam frowned, still frustrated with not knowing anything. The fact that it was a small-scale explosion should have made him feel better. Small-scale suggested less damage, less chance that Jules had been severely injured. He couldn't feel better, couldn't relax his guard until he knew for sure she was okay. Actually make that, he couldn't relax until she was standing beside him doing her best to assure him and everyone else that she was fine regardless as to what the evidence truly said.

As Sarge pulled up to the gate at Toronto East Detention Centre, it automatically opened. The guards at the gate had apparently been alerted that they were coming and were ready for them. Spike, who was able to push aside his emotions now that he had a task to focus on, was able to direct Greg straight to Detention Block C. Jules's SUV was already parked in front of the building, and Greg pulled in beside it. Ed was pulling up behind. Sarge looked over at the two men riding with him.

"Okay, Team, let's go find Jules."

- FP - FP - FP -

Jules slowly regained her senses. Her stomach threatened to upend itself, reminding her of the one time she'd ever experienced seasickness. Even before opening her eyes, she was assessing her situation. Her body was in motion but not of its own power. She wasn't floating on a boat somewhere but was being dragged. She could feel unfamiliar hands grasping her under her armpits. She could also hear someone breathing heavily but it didn't appear to be coming from directly above her.

"Shit, Dog, this dude weighs a ton. How come you got the pretty girl and I get this tub of lard."

Jules could tell the complaining voice was coming from her right and was the source of the heavy breathing. She wanted to open her eyes but held back. She wasn't quite sure what exactly was going on but she was pretty sure she could get more information if she pretended to still be unconscious.

"Quit bellyaching' about everything, Snake. You just want to have an opportunity to cop a feel."

"Hell yeah, Dog. Like that's not why you grabbed her so quick. Why we even taking this lug hostage anyway? I'm surprised he even still alive but he ain't gonna stay that way long. He a mess."

Again Jules wanted to vomit. Were they talking about Parker Douglas, the guard that had been escorting her out of the prison? She remembered him seeing the trash bag sitting in the hallway, remembered reporting the suspicious package to Sarge, remembered warning Douglas not to touch the back, remembered the guard ignoring her warning, but most of all remembered the sudden explosion throwing her back against the wall. She wasn't an expert on demolitions the way Spike was, but she knew all too well the effects that even a small explosion could have on a person. The bomb had been right in the guard's hand. How could he have survived such a close blast?

She pushed aside her worry for the man she'd only just met. Worrying about his condition wouldn't help him or her get out of this situation. Even with her head pounding she could figure out that her visit to the prison to talk to Barrett had coincided with an attempted prison break. She was thankful she had followed protocol and left her gun locked in the SUV. At least she hadn't added a loaded weapon into the mix.

First, she concentrated on what her body was telling her. She needed an idea of how injured she was in order to properly plan how to proceed. Her head was pounding and her ears were ringing. The former she was sure was from colliding with the wall and the latter was probably from the explosion itself. As her body was dragged down the hall, the movement made her more than a little aware of various bruises and aches. Fortunately though, she couldn't feel any signs of serious injury. That was good; whatever was coming, she'd be able to fight back if necessary. And fight back she would.

The grip on her arms was suddenly released. Her body dropped to the floor, and she was unable to suppress a slight groan as the movement jarred her sore body. The toe of a shoe nudged her.

"Look who's wakin' up. You just stay put if you know what's good for you."

Knowing it was no use pretending any longer, Jules opened her eyes. Her first glance was down at herself to confirm her earlier assessment of her injuries. No major injuries that she could see. She did notice that her Kevlar vest had been removed as well as the rest of her gear. The rest of her uniform was intact; a fact that made her feel better after hearing the two men talking about copping a feel.

Next she glanced over at Parker Douglas. Her heart sank. The guard was unconscious and it was probably a good thing that he was. No matter how small an explosion is, when you are at ground zero of it, it's huge. He'd lost a lot of blood; his uniform was drenched from the waist down to his mid-thigh. The hand that had held the bag had taken the brunt of the blast. He hadn't lost the hand in the explosion itself but whether a doctor would be able to save it later was uncertain. It was obvious to her that he needed a doctor sooner rather than later.

Finally, she looked at her captors. They were dressed in the standard uniforms but the one who had been dragging had added her utility belt and empty holster. The only thing missing from her gear was the Kevlar vest. She imagined the only reason it had been left behind was that since it was fitted to her small frame, it wouldn't fit him. She wasn't sure what good the rest of her gear would do him but she was pretty sure him wearing it was more of taunt at her than anything else. Though he had a hard look in his eyes and seemed to command loyalty, she wouldn't have given him a second glance if she'd seen him in regular clothes out on the streets. The other man, however, looked wild and dangerous. Looked every bit like the monsters Douglas had been talking about just before finding the bomb. He was small and wiry, but had a wild predatory look that reminded her of a rabid dog or the slithery reptile he was named for.

Her gut instinct was to reach out and grab the ankle of the man nearest her. The one who had dragged her from the hallway where the explosion had taken place to this more unknown area of the prison detention block. Even battered and bruised, she could have him on the floor and incapacitated before he knew what had hit him. She held back, however. She couldn't risk more harm coming Douglas. What really stilled her hand, however, was the approach of about ten more inmates. They didn't look happy.

"Dog, there ain't no van waiting outside. What's going down? You said you'd have our ride out of here waiting when we got here. You settin' us up?"

The guy who had dragged her - was Dog really his nickname or was it a general expression - seemed to be the leader of this band. Jules watched him carefully. He fiddled with the long flashlight on her utility belt. "I know it ain't there. Something must have delayed him. It was too late to stop the diversion when I realized Landry was late. We'll have to improvise. That's why I said to grab the guards and bring them here. Warden Hardass will have to give us what we want if we're threatening his men."

One of the newcomers indicated Jules with a jerk of his head. "I don't ever recall that vision of loveliness tucking me in at night. Maybe in my wettest dreams but not in reality. Where'd she come from?"

"How the hell do I know? She was on the way out so we got lucky." He reached back to the utility belt and removed the supply of zip cuffs. He kept one and tossed the rest to one of the other inmates. "Make sure the guards are secured. Don't want them getting ideas of being a hero. You did get them all, right?"

"We couldn't find Curtis." One of the men, whose eyes had never left Jules, admitted. "He ain't nowhere to be found. Guess he turned yellow when he heard the explosions and got the hell out of Dodge."

Dog- or whatever his name was- rolled Jules over on to her stomach and grabbed her wrists. Again, she contemplated struggling but knew at this point it would be futile. She allowed him to slip the plastic around her wrists and winced when he drew the cuff tighter than was necessary. She refused to give him the satisfaction of making an audible protest. She lifted her head and twisted it so that she could look up at him, keeping a calm expression on her face.

"Look, it sounds like you've got plenty of hostages. Parker is hurt and needs immediate medical care. Why not let him go? If you let something happen to him, then things aren't going to go well for you."

He just laughed. "You should worry more about yourself than him. I think we'll keep him. Give them a reason to hurry up and make us happy." He grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. She wobbled just a moment before she regained her balance. He looked at the others. "Get Douglas in there with the rest of guards. I got a few questions for our guest here."

There was some grumbling but the rest did as they were told. Dog shoved Jules brutally up against the wall, his arm across the top part of her chest just below her neck. "So that uniform of yours says J. Callaghan. What does the J stand for? Something deliciously sexy and feminine like Jade, something ordinary and sensible like Jane, or maybe since you're a little girl playing in a man's world, you've got a name to go alone with that like Jo."

Jules didn't want to cooperate with him at all. But she also knew it was in her best interest to make him see her as a person. Harder to eventually kill someone that you've gotten to know. "Jules. My name is Jules Callaghan. I'm with…"

"SRU," Dog finished for her. With his other hand, he fingered the patch on her sleeve. "I can read." His hand drifted further in to touch the patch on her left pocket. She didn't react to the fact that he was essentially touching her breast, especially when he started to stroke the area almost sensually. She kept her eyes directly on his, his touch infuriated her but she refused to let him see that it bothered her. No reaction at all was usually the best way to handle unwanted advances, even if the one making the pass was a convicted inmate. He grinned. "I also see where it says you are a sniper. I guess that makes you pretty dangerous, huh? At least with a gun."

Jules narrowed her eyes. There was such a thing as not making a reaction and another for being a doormat. Jules Callaghan was no doormat. "Cut these cuffs off me and I'll show you how dangerous I am even without a gun."

He took a step closer to her, pressing her more firmly into the wall, pinning her there with his body. "I'll be more than happy to see how dangerous you are. Later though. When I show you my 'gun' I don't plan on there being an audience. What are you doing here?"

She thought about making a quip that she hadn't had much choice considering he'd dragged her unconscious body through the detention centre. But she knew it was better not to antagonize the man any more than was necessary. "I was here interviewing an inmate. Do you really think the warden is going to give in to your demands?"

His grin just widened. "He will unless he wants nine dead guards."

Jules noticed he didn't say anything about her. She resisted the urge to shudder, realizing whatever he had planned for her would happen whether his demands were met or not. She knew several things he didn't know however. One, there was no way she was going to let him or anyone of the men in that room lay a finger on her without a fight the likes they'd never seen before whether her hands were bound or not. Two, he wasn't going to be going through the warden to even give his demands. She had a feeling the rest of the team was already outside the detention block setting up a command post. That led her to the third and perhaps the most important thing she knew that Dog didn't. Team One - Sam - would never allow anything like what he was insinuating to happen to her. All she had to do was bide her time, ignore the headache and other aches and pain she'd suffered in the explosion, protect herself and the others as best she could, and give her teammates time to work their magic.

He shoved her inside the big room. Jules realized they were in the laundry room for the detention block. It made sense for it to be the location they had gathered in for the escape. There were several large washing machines and driers but what made it an attractive location in Jules's eyes was the exterior door. She knew some prisons used a laundry service and some required inmates to do the laundry themselves to be productive. She wasn't sure what system The East used. She scanned the room, trying not to be obvious about her examination while at the same time taking in everything.

With the exception of Parker Douglas, the other guards appeared bruised but relatively unharmed. The inmates had spread them out so they weren't close enough to whisper to each other and make plans. Jules thought that was smart of them; too many times hostage takers put all their hostages in one place to make it easier to watch them but neglected to think about how the disadvantages.

She counted at least twenty-five inmates gathered in the room hoping to escape. She knew the detention block could house about four times that many. She wondered if the missing 80 or so inmates were still locked in their cells or were roaming loose somewhere else in the building. She didn't see Barrett in the room, but she wasn't really surprised. Given the recent beatings he'd taken, she didn't see him fitting in enough to join with a group that was trying to break out.

Dog pushed her down to sit in front of one of the industrial driers. She thought back to the innate telling him that Curtis was the only guard that was unaccounted for. Wasn't Curtis the guard who was supposed to have escorted Barrett back to his cell? She hoped Barrett hadn't done something foolish in his anger over revealing what had actually happened that night at the mall.

"So what? We're just gonna sit here and wait on every fucking cop in Toronto to arrive?" A man whose arms were larger than most men's legs stood in front of Dog, those imposing arms crossed against his chest. "You swore this was a foolproof plan, Dog. Now I want out of here and I want out now. How you gonna make that happen?"

Dog didn't seem intimidated at all. "Relax, by tonight, this place will be nothing but a memory. Let the cops come; ain't like they're gonna come in here guns blazing and risk killing their buddies. I imagine we'll be hearing from the warden any minute now. Have a little faith, Bear."

_Dog? Snake? Bear? Was she in a prison or a zoo? _Jules had to admit the way she was being stared at made her feel like she was in a zoo. "Look, I know the main infirmary is in a different building but surely you've got some sort of medical supplies. It won't do you any good if Parker dies before you even get a chance to make your demands. At least bandage his wounds and give him a chance to live."

She couldn't help but plead the guard's case one more time. His skin had turned really pale and she was worried that he'd lost so much blood that nothing would save him. She had to do everything in her power to prevent that.

Dog glanced over at her first and then over at Parker. Then he looked back at Bear. "You're about the only one here with any sort of medical training. Go get the first aid kit and see what you can do for him. Flannery, take Smithers and Andrews down to the kitchen and get what you can food wise. We don't want to go hungry. I'm going to see if I can get someone to pick up on the house phone. Get our demands out there."

It was as if the men knew better than to really go against his orders. The four men left the laundry as Dog went to the beige phone on the wall. Snake approached her, grinning predatorily. She couldn't stop him from lifting her from her seated position and setting her on edge of the drier. He touched her cheek.

"Yeah, they can do all those things. Me, I've been waiting to get a piece of tail for almost six years now. I think you'll do just fine."

His lips captured hers in a hard, possessive kiss. His tongue tried to force its way past her lips but she'd clamped her mouth shut and wouldn't let him in. His hands skimmed down to her uniform shirt. Gripping both sides of her shirt, he gave it a yank causing buttons to go flying.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: As of right now, I'm thinking this chapter might be as strong as it gets, so I really don't want to raise the rating for this one chapter. Checking back over the ratings, I think it can still fall under the heading of a T rating but be warned, this chapter is definitely a very strong T. It contains some stronger course language (including the F word a few times, but I have a hard time seeing hardened criminals not use it.) and mildly suggestive adult themes. If that bothers you, then you might not want to read the last section. I try very hard to follow the rules so if anyone thinks I should move the rating up, please let me know, and I'll be glad to change it. That being said, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks for all the reviews so far. They mean the world to me.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

Break Out

Chapter 3

"Sgt. Parker, we could have over 100 men on the loose in this building." Warden Jenkins paced back and forth in the small office just inside Detention C where the command post had been set up. "With CCTV out, the only way we have of knowing just how many are involved is to do a check of the entire building."

Greg frowned. He didn't want to send his people in without knowing more about what was going on with the prison break but he knew the warden had a point. He especially didn't like that they'd been on the scene more than twenty minutes and he still didn't know what was going on with Jules. He knew she could take care of herself in normal situations, but he had no way of knowing if she was injured from the blast. "Nobody has left the building. Inmates might be running free in the building but they've got to want more than just that. They've got to have demands. Why haven't they given them to us?"

"Boss, let us start a systematic sweep of the building." Sam argued. "Even going in less lethal, we've got a better chance of making a tactical move instead of waiting for them to make demands."

"Sam's got a point." Ed agreed. "We can at least get a better idea of what we're dealing with if we do reconnaissance. Get in there, find where they are holed up, where they have the hostages, make sure the inmates that aren't involved are secured…"

Greg waved off his arguments. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. It's a good plan. We've got to get eyes in somehow and it doesn't seem that it's going to be electronically. How are you going to go about it?"

Ed indicated the large floor plan of the building that that had been spread out on a desk. He pointed out the office they were in which was right at the door. The hallway the office opened to was relatively short before making a sharp turn to the right.

"I want to send Team Four up to the upper floors; that's where the cell blocks are. They can divide up into three groups- Charlie, Delta, and Echo - to secure those areas. I want Raf and Spike to be Bravo team on green. Sam and I'll be Alpha on red. Once those areas are clear, we'll both take black."

Greg was glad that Ed had thought to keep Sam close. The young man was holding himself together remarkably well given the circumstances but Greg knew it was killing him not knowing what had happened to Jules. He nodded. "Okay, do it. Reconnaissance and containment only at this point. Hold off on tactical if you find where the hostages are being kept until we know more about the threat they are facing."

Ed nodded. "Copy that."

After outlining the plan to the different teams, they broke off down the hallway. Each teach had a key card that would allow them access to the locked areas. As they moved along the hallway, Sam kept glancing down at his weapon or specifically the tape on the bottom of the clip that marked it as non-lethal. Ed noticed. He made sure their radios weren't transmitting so they could speak freely. "You'd rather be walking these halls with something other than rubber bullets, wouldn't you?"

Sam nodded slightly, barely glancing over at Ed. "Wouldn't you? I mean I understand why we can't go in fully armed…"

"But if it comes down to Jules being threatened, you'd rather have a solution you knew you could trust to end the situation." Ed finished for him. "I get it, Sam, I do. Same as I knew none of us were happy with just waiting around hoping the ones doing this are going to produce their demands."

Sam's frown seemed permanently etched on his face. "Demands we won't meet because we can't give them what we all know they are going to want - their freedom."

Ed knew what was really bothering him. "Jules is going to be fine, Sam. She's tough, and she can take care of herself."

"Yeah," Sam breathed out trying to sound unaffected. He consulted his PDA where the floor plan was displayed. "Looks like this hallway leads to the visitation rooms. It's possible they've gathered in the common area. It would be big enough to hold quite a few people."

Ed stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned to face the younger man.

"Sam, I know you're worried. Hell, we all are. You don't have to act like you aren't concerned about her."

Sam's expression never wavered but his blue eyes revealed his worry anyway. "Don't I? Seems like the chief made it pretty clear that even though Jules and I have been allowed to stay on the same team, that could change if we cross professional boundaries. I can do this; I can remain objective and do my job, just please don't ask me to dwell on what could be happening."

Ed nodded. "Okay, I just don't want you to feel like you've got to hide your feelings from me. We've all got your back just as much as we have Jules's."

Sam nodded as they started forward again. "Copy that. It's not just what the chief would say though. Imagine the hell Jules will give me or any of us when we get her back if she finds out we overreacted without information."

Ed couldn't help but smile at the thought. Sam did know Jules pretty well. Before he could respond, they both heard the clatter of boots coming their way. They both readied their weapons, ready to fire the rubber bullets if necessary. The figure rounded the corner and drew up short when he saw their guns.

"Don't shoot. I'm a guard here."

Both Sam and Ed lowered their guns just enough to remove the immediate threat but remained ready to resume their stance if the uniformed man before them proved to be lying. Ed took a step closer. "What's your name? How did you get here?"

Sam couldn't take his eyes off the object in the guard's hand. Kevlar vest, small enough to fit only one person he could think of. "Where did you get that?"

The guard still seemed nervous, as was evidenced by the way he was gripping the vest. He cleared his throat. "My name is Geoff Curtis. I was escorting a prisoner back to his cell when we heard several explosions. It caught me by surprise; I don't mind telling you. Browning got the drop on me, took my key card, pushed me into a supply closet, and locked me in. It took me a little while to use my knife to pry the bolt out of the hinges in order to get out. What's going on?"

Sam passed Ed and approached the guard. He wrenched the vest out of his hand. He could see the name Callaghan stitched on the back; no question that it was Jules's. "And this?" His voice was harsh and demanding, as if he were questioning a dangerous subject rather than an innocent victim.

The guard swallowed hard. "I found it just down the hall there. I guess it belonged to the officer who was talking to Browning. I didn't see any sign of her or Douglas. Just…." he didn't finished his statement, looking a little green.

"Just what?" Ed pressed. Ed stepped closer and checked the man's badge. The picture and the name matched both the man and the information he'd given.

The guard just shook his head, unable to answer. He just pointed back to the way he'd come. Sam and Ed continued down the hall. After they turned the corner, what had upset Curtis was pretty obvious even before they reached the area. Sam felt his stomach turn as they quickly approached.

Scorch marks indicated it was the site of one of the explosions that had been reported. What really drew their attention, though, was the blood that was splattered on the floor. So much blood that it had to have come from a serious injury. Shards of something metal also littered the surrounding area. Sam knelt down and studied the shrapnel carefully. His jaw rocked. "Looks like the bastards had the bomb set up to cause maximum damage even if it was small scale."

He looked down at the vest in his hands. He could see similar pieces of metal embedded in the material. The vest would have protected her torso but what about the rest of her? Was any of this blood hers?

Ed looked at the guard. "So you were with Barrett Browning when the explosions happened? Do you think he was a part of this?"

Curtis shrugged. "I don't even know what the hell 'this' is. He certainly didn't waste time taking my key card and locking me up. With that access card, he could be anywhere in this building or out of it. Hell, by this time he's probably slipped out one of the back doors and gotten clear out of the area. Look, do you know where Douglas is? We've worked together for years and he's a great officer and a good friend to boot. I'm worried about him."

"We don't know anything more than you do." Ed admitted. "We're going to find out though. We need you to get to safety first. We've got a command area set up in the office. We've cleared the area between here and there so you'll be fine so long as you don't deviate. Tell Sgt. Parker everything you've told us."

The guard swallowed hard and nodded nervously. Without any protest, he turned and disappeared down the way Ed and Sam had come from. Once the two SRU officers were along, Ed continued to survey the scene.

"Looks like whoever was doing the bleeding was dragged that way." Ed pointed out to Sam, ignoring the guard. "I'm going to get Raf and Spike to join us. I think this blood trail is going to lead us right to our subjects."

Sam visibly flinched. Ed looked at him. "Sam, we don't know that all or any of this blood belongs to Jules. She could be just fine."

Sam gripped the vest he was holding tightly. It was as if holding it was the same as holding Jules. Ed was right; they didn't know if or how badly Jules was hurt, no more so than they'd known since the explosion itself. But he did know that Jules was missing. If she was unharmed or not in danger, they would have heard from her by now. Her silence and absence told him enough. Jules was in the hands of dangerous men and could be seriously injured. He couldn't get past that thought. He looked back at Ed. "You really believe that?"

Ed nodded. "I'm going to believe that until or unless I get proof positive that I'm wrong."

"_Ed, Sam," _Spike's voice came over the headset. _"We've got subjects in sight."_

- FP - FP - FP -

As Snake ripped her uniform shirt open and sent buttons flying every where, the other inmates let out catcalls. Jules figured for most of them, it had probably been years since they'd seen a woman's breasts. Fortunately that hadn't changed with the ripping of her shirt. The black t-shirt she always wore beneath her uniform kept her covered. She'd never been more glad to be wearing it than she was right then.

Even though her skin was still covered, it didn't stop Snake's hands from exploring. He groped her even through the material even as his lips never left hers. She couldn't deny that she was afraid; only a fool wouldn't be in her situation. However, she'd never been one to give in to fear, and she certainly wasn't one to let someone try to take advantage of her without a fight.

Her hands might be restrained behind her back, but her legs were free. Snake had straddled them as he had pressed his advantage. She kicked upward, catching him unawares as she made contact with his groin. With a curse, Snake released her and took a step back. His reaction was swift as he backhanded her savagely.

Jules didn't hesitate either. Even as her already pounding head reeled from the slap, she was drawing her legs up and kicking out. This time she caught him square in the chest. Snake flew backward, landing heavily on the floor. Even though she'd taken him by surprise, he didn't wallow in it. Almost immediately, he scrambled back to his feet and launched himself back at her.

He swept her off the drier to the floor, pinning her beneath him. One hand grabbed her jaw and squeezed painfully. He was breathing hard. "You little bitch. You like it rough? Good, so do I so long as I'm the one doing the roughing. You gonna wish you'd just been nice to me. Now I'm gonna fuck you so hard you're eyes are going to bug out."

She struggled as much as she could considering her hands were pinned beneath her. She kicked at him and spat out her own string of curses. His hand that wasn't gripping her jaw roamed down to her waist. He was trying to pull her t-shirt up to reveal what he hadn't been able to show when he'd ripped her uniform. Even thought he was straddling her body and outweighed her by at least forty pounds, her thrashing about made his efforts difficult. Balling his hand into a fist, he punched her several times in the stomach. The grip on her jaw tightened, making her momentarily wonder if it was possible for a human hand to crush the jawbone into pieces.

Around them, the other inmates were still making catcalls and laughing at Snake. One asked if Snake needed help controlling a helpless woman. Jules bristled at the idea of being called helpless; she'd show him who was helpless. The imprisoned guards were also calling out in protest of what Snake had tried to do instead of encouragement.

Suddenly his weight was thrown off her. She was breathing hard and wasn't sure how much fight was still left in her if he came back for another try. She'd give it everything she could because there was no way she was going to let him get what he was after without a struggle.

Dog was standing over her but was glaring at Snake. "What the hell do you think you're doing? We ain't got time for this shit."

"Damn you, Dog; what'd you do that for? I'm gonna teach that Bitch a lesson. In case you ain't noticed, right now all we got is time until you figure out how we're getting out of here. After six years of not getting anything, you really expect me to leave that untapped? Just looking at her, even in that uniform, has me so hard I can't stand it."

Since Snake was still lying on the ground where he'd sprawled after Dog had shoved him off Jules, Dog lashed out, kicking him solidly in the leg. "Then do what you've done for the last six years - probably longer seeing as how you probably couldn't even pay a whore to sleep with you. Take care of it yourself. Ain't nobody getting a piece of her until I've had my fill of her. That's not gonna happen until we're out of here. You got that? After that the rest of you can do whatever the hell you want to her. Until then, hands off."

Snake pouted. "Aw, come on, Dog. Just because you want to wait for some damn reason, why should the rest of us? Let me just get a little taste of her. What would it hurt?"

Dog leaned down. "You and just about every man in this room wants a piece of her just from seeing her. You go fucking her and getting the room smelling all of sex and it's gonna be like sharks smelling blood in the ocean. Nobody's gonna be thinking about getting out of here. They're gonna be thinking with another piece of their anatomy other than their brains. That's fine when we're out of here but until then I need think thinking straight."

Snake snorted. "Like we're not doing that already."

Glaring, Dog narrowed his eyes. "You don't like following my orders, you don't have to stay. There's a cell upstairs with your name on it and you can go another six years without fucking something other than your hand. Got it?"

Snake nodded, but it was obvious he wasn't happy about it. "You better hurry up and get us out of here, Dog, or you won't be able to stop any of us from having our way with her."

Dog turned his back on Snake and looked down to where Jules was still lying on the ground trying to get her breath back from Snake's assault. She'd been watching the exchange in silence, almost fascinated that one of her captors was protecting her virtue from the others. She didn't delude herself. She heard what he was saying all too clearly. He wouldn't have any problem allowing and even participating in every vile act Snake had been set on doing to her. This was a delay not a stop.

However a delay was a good start. A delay would give her time to catch her breath and prepare mentally and physically for a second attack. A delay would give the team time to back her up with either a successful negotiation or a tactical plan that would bring this to a close. She trusted her own skills but she worked with a team for a reason. One person against all these men wasn't good odds but those odds increased exponentially when you put the whole team on it.

Even though she was watching what was going on, she wasn't prepared for Dog to suddenly turn on her and kick her as solidly in the ribs as he'd earlier kicked Snake. She folded up and let out a gasp of pain and a mild curse. Before she could recover from the kick to her already sore ribs, Dog kicked her again, this time hitting her upper thigh. Immediately she felt sharp needle-like sensations piercing her leg.

"Shit, ouch."

_No way in hell a kick should hurt that much._ Jules thought. Her eyes were watering from the pain but she still managed to glance down at her leg. She was surprised to see dots of blood along the outside of her left thigh. There was no way a kick would cause such an injury nor the fiery pain that was accompanying it. Had she been hurt worse in the explosion than she thought? Injuries that had hidden themselves among the other aches and pains of being thrown against the wall but had made themselves known when aggravating by the sudden kick? She glanced again and saw black dots poking out of the pants legs at the blood sites. She mentally cursed again. With everything that had happened, she hadn't even realized she'd caught shrapnel in her leg in the explosion. Even though it hurt like anything, she didn't think it had caused serious damage, even where Dog had kicked her.

Dog knelt down beside her, a new plastic zip cuff in his hands. "Don't think I'm trying to help you. Once we're out of here I don't give a shit what happens to you. In fact I'm going to love hearing you scream until you have no voice left. That's got to wait until I can enjoy every minute of your pain. For now though, I've got to make sure no one else gets any ideas on fucking you until then."

He slipped the zip cuff around both her ankles and tightened the cuff much like he'd done when he had restrained her hands. There wasn't as much give with her ankles as there had been with her wrists but the tightness was just as painful. She welcomed the pain though because it meant it would be harder for her captors to give in to their sexual urges. Dog stood and looked at the other men.

"Anybody loosens those cuffs answers to me. You got that?" Seeing no protests, Dog stood again. "Now, if no one has any more delays for us, I'm going to call in our demands like I was trying to earlier. The sooner I can do that, the sooner we can get out of this hellhole and start having some real fun. Any objections?"

There were none. If she'd had any doubts before, Jules now knew exactly who was in charge here. She wasn't sure if it made her feel better or worse to know the other inmates listened so closely to his orders. She rolled just slightly to her right, away from the side that was burning with pain and managed with great difficulty to get to a sitting position once more. Lying on the ground made her feel too vulnerable.

Once she was upright, one of the guards just a couple of meters away from her looked at her and mouthed a question if she was okay. She nodded slightly. It wasn't the whole truth but compared to the alternative she was just fine. She looked to her right where Douglas was lying on the floor, the only captive that wasn't bound, not that they could use that to their advantage. Bear hadn't returned with the medical supplies yet. She couldn't tell much from where she was but it didn't look like the injured guard was doing well.

Jules suddenly had a feeling of being watched. She turned her head slightly and realized that Snake was sitting right beside her with his face just centimeters from hers. She jumped slightly before she could control her reaction. She hadn't expected to see him there so close to her face, or maybe she half hoped he would slink off somewhere and sulk after what had happened with Dog.

His eyes were fairly dancing and he looked more reptilian than he had previously. He smirked at her. "I guess you think he saved you, huh? Got you all trussed up so me and the other boys can't play? He ain't done shit, Bitch. All he's done is make me want you even more. Once I finally do get my hands on you, you gonna wish we'd killed you to start with. That's a promise."

He leaned in even closer, ready to kiss her once more. Jules turned her head trying to avoid his slobbering attempt, but Snake grabbed hold of her ponytail and gave her hair a yank, holding her in place. Once more his lips covered hers and his tongue tried to slip past her tightly clenched lips. Seeing she wasn't going to cooperate, Snake bit down hard on her slightly protruding lower lip. Then he laughed and stood up.

Jules tasted something coppery and knew he'd drawn blood with his bite. She couldn't help but wonder if a person could get rabies from a snake bite or would she just have to worry about his venom? Before she could ponder the question too much or think about whether the punchy way her thoughts had gone meant she was experiencing a little bit of shock, Bear returned carrying a large medical box. He knelt beside Parker Douglas and started to treat his wounds. Jules watched him carefully.

"Dog said you had medical training. Is that true?"

Bear nodded, barely paying her any attention. "Yeah, I was a combat medic in the army. This bastard doesn't look much different from some of the soldiers I treated in Afghanistan. Although he might be a sight worse off then any of them."

If Sam were there, he'd probably be able to find a connection with Bear that might help them get out of this mess. _Who was she kidding? If Sam were there, he'd still be tearing Snake limb from limb for what he'd tried._ Thinking of Sam made her want to smile and cry at the same time. She considered herself a strong person and could handle just about anything that was thrown at her, but she couldn't deny that right then, she would love to have Sam put his arms around her and just hold her as tightly as he could. She sniffled slightly. She couldn't give in to such thoughts yet. She was going to get out of this mess and then there would be plenty of time to let Sam care for and comfort her. Until then she had to stay focused on the moment.

"Is he going to be okay?"

Bear continued wrapping gauze around the worst of Douglas's injuries. He barely glanced her way. "You just better hope your buddies on the outside don't try to stall for time. Cause he ain't got none to spare."

She glanced back over to the wall phone where Dog was making his demands. She wondered if he was talking to Sarge. She would bet anything that he was. Just the thought that her team could be that close made her feel slightly better. No doubt for a call of this magnitude they'd called up another team - probably Team Four if she was remembering the rotation schedule correctly - to assist but Team One would be primary on the call. Not just because it was their shift but because when it came to negotiation and successfully resolving difficult calls, Team One was the best. Sarge would be on the other end of the phone, listening to Dog's demands while calmly trying to negotiate either the hostages' releases or at the very least information that would help the team. At the same time, Ed would have a tactical plan in motion to back up Sarge and to be prepared if negotiations failed. They worked well as a team, she thought with pride. They were her team, and even if she was in danger, she could help do her part. She took a deep breath, trying to push away the increased pain in order to focus.

"Bear, as a former medic, I know you don't want him to die. You were trained to save lives. You just said it yourself, he doesn't have much time. You can save him."

The big man looked at her, his eyes dark and stormy. "You don't even know why I'm in here. How do you know I don't want to see him die?"

Her heart was beating a little more rapidly and she wasn't sure if it was the situation or her injuries causing it. She took some sniper breaths, silently willing herself to calm down. She was treading on thin ice. She missed having Sarge's voice in her ear giving her advice and warnings during a difficult negotiation. She missed not have Sam's expertise on the mind of a soldier to help guide. Missed the team, especially Sam, in general. "Because you saw enough death when you served. The lives of soldiers you tried to treat in the field and couldn't save no matter how hard you worked. Give Parker Douglas a chance to live."

Bear shook his head. "I've done all I can, and you've said all I care to listen to. Shut up before I shut you up."

Jules realized she was treading on thin ice but also knew the guard didn't have the luxury of time to move more cautiously. "You could convince Dog to let him go. You've got me and the other guards as hostages and releasing Parker to get medical help will be a gesture of good faith to my team out there. You let him die when he could be saved and they aren't going to be as willing to help you." She wouldn't promise it would make Sarge or the warden release them. She knew there was no way they would let twenty-five potentially dangerous inmates leave the prison, and she wasn't going to lie to a subject. She hoped that it would at least make him think it was a possibility though so he would do the right thing.

Instead, she was caught by surprise at his next move. His large beefy hand swung back as he backhanded her in roughly the same place that Snake had earlier. Only Bear's hand felt twice as large and three times as heavy as Snake's had. Her head snapped to the side with the force of the blow; she saw stars and once again found herself sprawled on the floor. It felt like his hand had covered an entire side of her face, and she wondered if he'd broken her jaw with the blow.

"I told you I'd shut you up." He got up and walked away from her, not seeming to care if she was injured or not.

Jules just continued to lie there. Tears filled her eyes. The latest pain coupled with what she'd already experienced was almost too much for her. She didn't want to cry though. Not in front of all these men. It wasn't so much because she didn't want to appear to be weak but more because she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of having made her cry.

With that determination in mind, she put her shoulder to the floor and used it to push herself back up to a seated position. She moved her jaw up and down, wincing at the pain the movement caused but glad that it would move. Maybe he hadn't broken her jaw after all.

Suddenly a hand closed over her mouth, aggravating her injuries but silencing the hiss of pain at the same time. A voice spoke low in her ear. "Don't make a sound. I'm about to get you out of here."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: So sorry for the delay; school started back this week after the Christmas break and it's always hard getting back into the swing of things. I am blown away by the feedback I've gotten for this story. I'm glad that you are enjoying it and I hope that continues.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

Break Out

Chapter 4

Ed and Sam exchanged a look and Ed reached to turn his transmitter back on. "Talk to me, Spike. What do you have?"

"_Three subjects in prison uniforms. They look like they are raiding the kitchen; maybe getting supplies to take back to the others? Do you want us to detain or just maintain surveillance?"_

Ed was about to answer to just to watch and follow; he and Sam might be on to something with the direction of the blood stains on the floor that indicated where someone - hopefully not Jules from the amount of the blood - had been dragged toward, but he couldn't be one hundred percent certain his theory would pan out. Obviously the three raiding the kitchen would eventually go back to where the others were holed up and they'd find Jules and the other guards. Before he could get the words out of his mouth though, Greg interjected through the radio.

"_Spike, any sign of the hostages?"_

"_Negative, these three are alone and they don't seem to be in communication with anyone."_

"_Detain them. We need to get a line on who we are dealing with and these three can give us that information."_

Ed didn't contradict the call, didn't protest that it was a tactical decision and one he should be making. He understood why Greg had made the decision and while it might not have been his first choice, he couldn't say it was a bad one. He saw that Sam didn't look happy though. Once again, Ed turned off his transmitter.

"Sam, we need the information."

"And if the others involved realize we've arrested three of their people and take it out on Jules and the others?"

"Honestly, I don't think they will. Retaliation of that sort suggests a level of loyalty that I don't think exists here. I think the whole 'no honor among thieves' will play in here. I don't think whoever is leading things is going to be too upset to suddenly be three less in the break out attempt."

Sam let out a huff of frustration. "You hope."

Ed nodded, understanding the frustration only too well. "Yeah, I hope. And if we take the other option? Let these three lead us back to where the others are? We have three more potentially dangerous subjects threatening harm to the hostages. Either option we take has potential dangers for Jules and the guards."

Sam nodded, almost reluctantly. He was acknowledging the truth of Ed's words not necessarily his total agreement with the assessment. "So how do you and I proceed? Whoever lost this blood doesn't have a lot of time."

"Spike," Ed spoke into the radio in answer to Sam's question. "Can you and Raf handle things on your end without Sam and me?"

"_Sure, no problem. You got something on your end?"_

"Sam and I have found where Jules was more than likely captured. There's a blood trail and we're checking it out. Boss, you better have EMS on standby."

"_Already taken care of. Be careful, Eddie, we don't know who or what we're dealing with here."_

Ed figured the guard had already reached the office and filled them in on what he'd discovered. He acknowledged Greg's concern and then turned to Sam. "Let's go find Jules."

- FP - FP - FP -

Jules recognized the voice in her ear, but it didn't cause her to relax. It wasn't the voice she wanted to hear: the warm, reassuring voice that never failed to make her stomach do tiny flips or send a tingle of desire down her spine. Barring that, she could have been happy if the promise of rescue had come from any of the equally familiar voices of her teammates, men she trusted implicitly day in and day out. Instead, the voice belonged to someone who, the last time she'd heard it, had been filled with anger and just maybe a hint of malice. It wasn't one to inspire relief or promise of safety. She narrowed her eyes, but nodded slightly to show she wouldn't scream. Not that screaming or making a sound would help her in this room where the only ones who would want to help her were similarly restrained. But the hand crushed against her sore mouth released her and the body that went with the hand and voice came into her vision.

Barrett Browning didn't look any happier to see her than he had when she'd left the conference room. The way he looked her over from head to toe was vastly different from the looks Snake had given her before he'd attacked her but didn't make Jules feel any safer. She frowned.

"You're a part of this?" She hissed out in barely a whisper. He hadn't been in the room earlier, she'd specifically looked for him without really thinking he would be involved. Her gut had said he'd gotten caught up trying to protect his brother but wasn't really dangerous. Now seeing him kneeling in front of her made her question that feeling.

Barrett recoiled as if she'd slapped him. "Of course not. Every bruise on me has one of their names on it. I wouldn't have anything to do with anything they planned - not that they would have included me. Curtis was escorting me back when the explosions happened. I took advantage of it. Shoved Curtis in a supply closet, grabbed his key card, and took off. I was going to take advantage of the craziness of whatever was happening and get out of here. Go find my brother and get him out of the country before you and your buddies ruin his life. Then I saw your vest and the blood and knew you hadn't gotten out. I shouldn't give a damn what happens to you after what you did. I should have just ignored it and kept going."

"Why didn't you?" It wasn't an accusation.

"My mom raised me and Gary on the idea that you didn't hurt a woman. As I walked away from the evidence that you were in danger I could feel her disapproval from the grave. I couldn't leave you at the mercy of these animals no matter how much I might hate you. Mom would never forgive me if I did. I'm going to get you out of here. Even if it means I lose my chance to help Gary, I gotta do this."

Jules shook her head. "Get Parker Douglas out of here instead."

Barrett looked over at the injured guard. He frowned. "That's not what I risked my life and freedom to come in here for."

"You have to. He's injured."

Barrett looked down at the hand that he'd used to cover her mouth. Then he turned his palm out to show her. He didn't say anything but let the smear of red do the talking for him. She was injured as well.

"I'm fine. Nothing compared to him. He's going to die if he doesn't get medical attention. You've got to help him."

Barrett snorted derisively. "What do I care what happens to him? The only reason I even came back to help you is because I couldn't turn my back on what my mom taught me. It's not like him or any of the others ever did me any favors."

Jules glanced around the room. She wasn't sure how Browning had avoided detection so far, but she couldn't count on that luck lasting long. If they spotted Browning and realized he shouldn't have been there, then he wouldn't have an opportunity to get anyone out. She had to convince him to help Douglas. She took a deep breath, struggling not to wince at the pain the movement caused her sore ribs. "Barrett, you said earlier you don't do anything without thinking about the consequences, without making sure it was in the best interest of you and your brother. Did you mean that?"

The look he gave her was steely. "I'm in here aren't I? Though if I really had Gary's best interests at heart, I wouldn't have come back for you."

"Get Douglas out of here. Get him to medical help. If you do that; then when I'm out of here, I'll put in a good word for your brother. I won't make any guarantees but you do this and I'll help your brother as much as I can. Perhaps convince the prosecutor or the judge to be lenient or at least sentence him somewhere he wouldn't have to look over his shoulder every minute. I don't know what I can accomplish but I promise I'll do everything I can."

Barrett didn't look completely convinced but his gaze did waver just slightly. He looked from her over to the injured guard and then back to the other inmates who had initiated the escape attempt. He shook his head. "I can't do it. You I could easily throw over my shoulder and make a break for the door before they ever noticed what was happening. Hell, I bench press probably twice your weight on a daily basis, but if I tried to do the same with him, I won't make it. What'll happen to me then? Bad enough when one or two of them laid into me, but all of 'em at one time? They'd kill me as soon as look at me. Besides, looking at what they've already done to you; I ain't too sure you'll live long enough to put in any kind of word with anybody. The way I see it, I can get you out of here, lock you in a closet much like I did Curtis and still get out of here before anyone knows what's going on."

"My team is going to make sure I get out of here and get out alive. I swear to you, if you don't help Parker Douglas right now while you have a chance; if he dies because you do nothing, then I swear to you I'll make sure you are charged with his death the same as the rest of these guys." Jules also looked around the room at her captors. Dog was off the phone and didn't look happy. She wasn't surprised. Sarge wouldn't blindly give in to any demands as easily as she suspected the inmate expected him to. The others had gathered around him; she figured they were making their own demands, wanting to know what was going on. "Right now, they're distracted. You've got a chance to get him out of here without anyone paying you any attention. I'll make sure they stay distracted."

Barrett blanched. "How're you gonna distract them? They'll either kill you or beat you senseless. What's this guy ever done for you that you'd risk that?"

Was that what everything boiled down to for the young man who'd never been given a real chance? What's in it for him? "He doesn't have to do anything. My job is to protect lives. If you were lying there in his condition, I'd do everything possible to see that you lived as well. Believe it or not, I'd do the same if it were Dog or Snake, not because of what I'd get out of it but because it's the right thing to do. Please, Barrett, I really believe you are a good person. You wouldn't have come back for me if you weren't. Get him to safety. Tell my team everything you can about what's going on in here. Trust them the way I trust them. I'm going to be okay. Parker Douglas might not be so lucky if he doesn't get help."

Looking very much like it was taking every effort in him to do so, Barrett finally agreed. Then he added. "I hate to repeat myself but how are you going to distract them? Doesn't look like you can get over there where they are on your own and if you bring them over here, there's no way I'm getting him out unnoticed."

Jules nodded. "I know. I have an idea. Get out of sight until I clear the area for you. Then get him out and don't look back. You hear me?"

"Yeah." Barrett practically growled. "This is seriously fu…" Seeing the look Jules was giving him, he didn't finish his thought. Instead he moved to crouch in a space between one of the driers and the wall. Once she was sure he was out of sight, Jules looked back over where Dog and the others were standing.

"They aren't going to negotiate with you without proof of life."

"Shut up, Bitch. No one asked you nothing." Snake insisted while keeping his distance. It was clear he was still upset at not getting to carry out what he'd tried earlier, but equally clear that he wasn't going to go against what Dog had told him.

"I'm SRU; that's my team you are dealing with. I know how they operate and right now they don't even know if I or any of the guards are even alive. Let me talk to my boss; he's the man on the other side of the phone. I can let him know we're alive, get the ball rolling on those demands you want. That's what you want, right?"

Dog crossed back over to where she was sitting on the floor and jerked her to her feet. Once again she had to bite back a groan as pain exploded through her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd ever felt that sore; maybe she'd never felt this bad before, not even after she'd been shot. Of course, she'd had some pretty heavy duty painkillers after being shot so she really couldn't compare the two.

Dog dragged her over to the wall where the phone was. He nodded to Bear who came up behind her, gripping her arms tightly in his meaty hands. Once he was sure she couldn't go anywhere, Dog released his own hold on her and picked up the phone. Jules resisted the urge to glance back to where she'd been sitting. She hoped Barrett was following through with getting Douglas out but she couldn't risk drawing anyone's attention back to the area. She was glad everyone's attention was on her; whether it was because the others were eager to know their demands for freedom were going to be met or because they were still lusting after her despite Dog's edict that no one touch her she couldn't be sure. She didn't really want to dwell on it. As long as they kept their focus on her and gave time for Barrett to get the injured guard out, it didn't really matter.

"I got someone here that's going to convince you we mean business. You might want to listen to her 'cause if I don't start getting what I want, things are gonna change drastically."

Dog held the receiver to Jules's ear. She took another painful, deep breath before speaking. "This is Jules Callaghan, Strategic…"

"_Jules, thank God. Are you okay?" _She could hear the noticeable relief in his voice. She could almost see him wherever they had staged, pacing back and forth as much as the cord on the phone would allow. She could see him taking off his cap with the hand not holding the receiver and then wiping his forehead with the crook of his arm before returning his hat to his head. She wondered how many times he'd already done so.

"Nothing I can't handle, Sarge." Her voice never wavered or gave any indication of the pain she was in. She glanced at Snake defiantly as she did so. He glared back at her but there was just a hint of a smirk on his face like he was imagining what he would like to do to her.

"_We're working toward a resolution to this. You know we're doing everything possible to get you and the others out safely. Just hang in there." _She knew he was choosing his words carefully in case the conversation wasn't completely private. She was also pretty sure despite her best intentions, Sarge had probably picked up on even the barest, even imperceptible hint of pain in her voice. The only other person she believed capable of doing that was Sam.

_Sam_. Even thinking his name made her feel a little better, like the thought of him could envelop her in a comforting hug and soothe away the pain. When this was over, and it would be over soon and she would be out and safe, she wouldn't complain if he wanted to take her in his arms and vow to never let go. In fact, she'd welcome it without a thought to whether it made her seem weak.

"Boss, they want a ride out of here. A vehicle that will hold about twenty men and a clear path out of the prison." She gave the demands she knew Dog had already insisted on while also giving Sarge a clue as to how many subjects they were dealing with; pretending to do just what she told Dog she would do. "They say if you don't, they'll kill us all."

"_You know we won't let that happen. Tell them we're checking into their demands but it would be helpful if they showed us some good faith. Maybe release one or more of the hostages."_

If she relayed his message, it might put their focus on the restrained guards and then they would notice the escape attempt. She couldn't do that. Suddenly she realized she was losing the attention of a few of the inmates who were bored with just a mundane conversation. She had to do something to get their attention back or else Barrett wouldn't have an opportunity to get Douglas out unnoticed. Knowing that what she was about to do would infuriate Greg until he knew the reason behind it, Jules made a silent apology to her boss and friend. "Yeah, they're not going to do that. Don't worry about us. Not like these guys are any real threat anyway. I mean they actually think you're going to let them just walk right out of here. Stupid, huh? But I guess that's what you get when you are dealing with the dregs of society."

"_Jules, what are you doing?"_It was as much a warning as a question.

Not that she needed a warning. Bear's grip on her arms tightened to the point she wasn't sure if he was going to cut off all circulation or snap her bones in two. Maybe both at the same time. Dog snatched the receiver away from her ear and swung it at her, once more causing her face to explode in pain. She carefully controlled her reactions and didn't make a sound though it would have been easy to whimper. But she once again had everyone's attention firmly on her. She just wished they didn't all look like they wanted to tear her from limb to limb.

"Listen, Bitch," The warning was just as clear in Dog's voice as it had been in Sarge's but it was nowhere near as friendly and concerned. "You're supposed to be telling him how important it is to yours and everyone's well being for him to meet our demands quickly."

He put the phone back to her ear. She took several breaths to get the pain under control. _It's just pain_, she reminded herself, _bruises on top of bruises. Nothing that won't heal; better to take a few lumps then let an innocent man bleed to death. You can take it. _ "Sarge?"

"_Can they hear me?" _A sure sign that he wanted to fuss without an audience.

"No." Let them think he'd asked if she was hurt. Let them think whatever they wanted to think.

"_Jules, don't antagonize them. We have three in custody so we know who we are dealing with. They are dangerous and have nothing to lose in this. They are capable of anything." _

Jules kept her expression neutral; if Dog thought she was getting useful information he would take the phone away. She remembered him sending three people - the names were escaping her at the moment making her wonder if the blows she'd taken were starting to take a toil on her - to the kitchen to gather food while they waited. Were those the three Sarge was talking about? "I'm sure by now you've got snipers all in position. It wouldn't surprise me if they already had their laser sights trained right on about three or four of these bozos. You could take out most of them one shot each. Do what you've got to do, Sarge; I'll be fine."

Almost in tandem, those standing in front of the barred windows at the top of the room took several steps toward Jules. She hid a smile at the movement; she had them worried and moving away from her previous location. Though she could almost imagine the dressing down Sarge would give her later, she couldn't lose her advantage. "You can always start off with some good CS gas and flash grenades just to totally disorient them. They don't have weapons so you could put an end to all this without even breaking a sweat."

"_Jules, I'm sure you have a reason for everything you are saying. Whatever is going on in there, just remember, you aren't alone in this. We've got your back and we're going to get you out safely. Don't forget, whoever you are trying to protect in there, we need you too."_

Tears that had nothing to do with the pain of her injuries filled her eyes. She recognized that his words were similar to ones she'd not quite as nicely flung at him after he'd gotten involved in an incident a couple of years earlier. A time he'd put his life at risk trying to handle a situation all on his own. _It's different. That time he wasn't so much protecting someone's life but a memory he didn't think a young girl could handle; she was trying to save someone's life. He hadn't known the team was there trying to save him and she was counting on the fact that they had her back and would rescue her in time. _

Before she could assure him that she wasn't being stupid, that the risks she was taking were calculated and thought out, Dog snatched the receiver away again. "Look, you want your pretty little friend back in one piece, you get me a van and you get it fast. The quicker you do that the better off they'll be in here. You don't have time to waste; we got a guard in here that's not looking too good. He ain't gonna make it if you don't move fast. I'm surprised she ain't told you that; she's been so concerned about him."

Jules's heart sank when he looked past her to where Douglas had been left. She saw Dog's face twist with anger and could practically see smoke coming from his ears. He dropped the phone and wrapped his hand around her neck, squeezing hard. "Where the hell is he? What have you done?"


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: Again, thanks for the tremendous response to the first four chapters. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. This chapter goes back in time to cover what was happening on Sarge's side during the previous chapter. I hope it's not too confusing. Another warning that this chapter has a bit of rough language.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

Break Out

Chapter 5

"This can only go well for you if you come clean." Greg Parker insisted to the three inmates standing before him. So far they hadn't given him so much as name, rank, or serial number. Normally he had patience to spare when it came to convincing a subject to talk to him, but this wasn't a normal circumstance. Jules was missing; blood at her last known location showed she or someone else was badly hurt; and they were dealing with basically unknown individuals with very little to lose. He'd long passed his patience capacity.

The three men just stared at him defiantly. Warden Jenkins looked at them in annoyance. "Smithers, Andrews, Flannery, I thought the three of you had at least a little sense. You've been caught trying to break out of here…"

"Ain't true. We were just in the kitchen. Ain't no crime in fixing a snack is there?" Andrews protested.

"When you aren't on KP duty and there's a prison break going on, then yeah, I'd say there is." Jenkins countered. Then he continued. "Now, I don't give you sense enough to have planned all this on your own. For one, none of you have the smarts to rig those explosions. Your best bet is to cooperate with Sgt. Parker here. The longer this goes on, the more likely it is that someone's going to be hurt and it'll be on your heads."

Flannery snickered. "Oh, someone's gonna be hurt all right. Namely that sexy little cop. Getting a piece of that sweet thing is worth anything that happens. A regular little hellcat. Be honest, you guys keep her around because she's so hot in the sack, right?"

Greg took a step toward the three men, his eyes flashing in anger. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell Spike and Raf - the only other Team One members in the room - were also slowly advancing as well. Jules was more than just a teammate, she was like a sister to them and a daughter to him; hearing anyone speak so disparagingly about her was enough to incense them. The only way it would have been worse would have been for Sam to have been there to hear them speak about Jules in that way.

Before any of them could do anything they would maybe not regret but would at least be questioned about later, Greg stopped and looked at two uniformed officers who were present in the room. "Get them out of here. Take them to the holding area in Detention B."

He waited until they had been led from the room before turning to Jenkins. "Knowing they are involved, can you give us an idea who else we're looking at?"

The warden nodded and pulled out a file folder. "I've got a pretty good idea. We've got a few men housed here that would have the know-how to rig those explosions, but only one that I know of that those three would be involved with." He opened it to reveal the picture inside. "This is Eugene Dogland, goes by Dog for short. Not only is he pretty much a professional firebug but he's also garnered quite a following since he's been here. Unlike most arsonists, Dogland almost delights in burning more than just property. He's been linked to more than five deaths and over twenty fires."

"Nice guy. It's probably more than just him working with the Three Stooges. Who would be helping him?"

"I can think of at least twenty-five to thirty groupies." Jenkins answered as he reached back for two more folders. He opened another one. "This is his right-hand man, Larry Jones. You can't tell it as much from the picture but they call him Bear as much for his size as for his grizzly demeanor. His job as a paramedic helped supply him with drugs to feed his addiction. During medical calls, when a doctor ordered pain medication, Jones would inject the medication into himself instead of the patient. During one call, he was so high he wrecked the ambulance killing his partner and the patient. The patient had family with both money and connections and they got the charges against him raised from manslaughter to depraved heart murder. It took three bailiffs, both lawyers, and several men from the galley to take him down when he tried to go after the jury foreman who read the verdict."

Jenkins then opened the other folder. "Dogland's left hand man, John Smith - and yeah, that's his given name." Almost reluctantly he handed over the folder. "The guys in the block call him Snake. He's serving time for assault."

Greg felt his stomach turn. He didn't look over at Spike and Raf; he was pretty sure the worry he'd see if he did. He also couldn't look at the folder. "Let me guess, you don't mean simple physical assault."

Jenkins shook his head. "I'm afraid not. He was linked to more than 30 sexual assaults; there may have been more they just couldn't connect him to enough to try him for. His victims ranged in age from nine to ninety, but his preference was for pretty brunettes in their twenties and thirties."

Spike swore softly. Greg silently echoed the sentiment. They had all pretty much known the situation was bad but this was even worse than they had anticipated. Now Greg did look at both his teammates. "I know what you are worried about; I have the same concerns. However, we can't lose focus. Until we have reason to assume otherwise, we've got to trust that Jules is okay. Got it?"

Spike didn't respond but Raf nodded. The newest member of Team One rubbed his face. "Copy that. I think it's probably best if we don't let Sam know what kind of men are holding her captive. It's got to be hard enough for him as it is; this kind of knowledge is just gonna drive him crazy until we know what's going on."

Greg nodded; he wasn't a proponent of keeping secrets from the team but he could also acknowledge that it wouldn't do Sam any good to know the history of the men involved. If he could, he'd rewind time so that neither Spike nor Raf would have heard about the criminal history as well. It was hard enough staying objective and focused knowing one of their own was in jeopardy; this knowledge just made it even worse. "Agreed."

The phone on the desk rang. Greg looked from it to Jenkins. The warden gave a slight nod. "Considering all my guards are unaccounted for and probably being held hostage, that's probably our subjects. That phone only connects in-house."

"Spike, record it." Greg ordered, falling back into his training as he picked up the phone. "This is Sgt. Greg Parker with the Police Strategic Response Unit. Whom am I talking to?"

"_I'm the one who's going to be calling the shots. There's quite a few people who are going to get hurt if you don't give me exactly what I want."_

"No one wants to see anyone get hurt. Why don't you tell me what it is you want and I'll discuss it with my bosses."

"_A couple of large vans. Clear passage out of here."_

"That's a pretty tall order. That's going to take some time."

"_Don't give me that shit. I know there's probably half a dozen vans just like I'm asking for already parked here at the prison. Get a couple of them over here."_

"It's not that easy." Greg insisted, sounding much calmer than he really felt. "My bosses aren't going to want to approve anything without knowing how everyone is in there."

"_They're a lot better than they're gonna be if you don't make things happen pretty quickly. You got ten minutes to get those vans ready or we'll start throwing out dead bodies. Then what will your bosses say?"_

There was a noticeable clunk as the phone was slammed down. Greg sighed as he replaced the receiver on his end, resisting the urge to slam the phone down himself.

"It was definitely Dogland." Jenkins confirmed. "What are you going to do? We can't let him and his buddies out but he won't hesitate to hurt your teammate or my guards if he doesn't get what he wants."

Greg glanced over at Spike and Raf before answering. "We're not going to let them get away and we're not going to let them hurt anyone. Any idea where the call originated from?"

Jenkins shook his head. "I can narrow down where they aren't by marking off which rooms don't have house phones but I can't do much better than that."

"_Boss, we've followed the blood trail to the building's laundry. We can't get eyes in without revealing ourselves but we're pretty sure it's where they are holed up." _

Greg knew Ed and Sam hadn't heard his end of the conversation, but was glad to hear the update anyway. "Pull back a safe distance and observe only until we have a better idea what we're dealing with."

"_Copy that." _Ed acknowledged.

"_Sarge, there's got to be more we can do." _Sam interjected. _"Some way we can at least get eyes in so we know what we're dealing with."_

Greg heard what Sam wasn't really saying; that the younger man wanted some way to reassure himself that Jules was okay. He couldn't blame Sam; he wanted to know the same thing and he didn't have the same personal relationship Sam had with her. The house phone started to ring again. Before picking it up, he knew he had to answer Sam. "Fall back for now. The two you of you are outnumbered and if our subjects see you, it could make things worse for Jules and the guards."

"_Copy that." _

It was perhaps the most reluctant acknowledgement Greg had ever heard Sam make. Knowing his two best tactical members would hold position, Greg picked up the receiver again. "Sgt. Parker. I'm glad you called back. We can't work things out if we stop talking."

"_I got someone here that's going to convince you we mean business. You might want to listen to her 'cause if I don't start getting what I want, things are gonna change drastically."_

Her. He had to be referring to Jules. If she was able to try to "convince" him Dogland and his buddies mean business, then that meant she couldn't be injured too severely.

It was only a couple of seconds before the receiver shifted and he heard the voice he wanted to hear. _"This is Jules Callaghan, Strategic…"_

He let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Jules, thank God. Are you okay?" The question left his mouth before he really thought about it. Of course Jules wouldn't admit to anything being wrong; not when it could be on the transcript of a call and certainly not in front of subjects.

"_Nothing I can't handle, Sarge."_ Which of course didn't really tell him anything. She was hiding it well but he could hear the pain in her voice. She might not admit it out loud but she was injured. He wished he had more to offer her but instead assured her they were working toward getting her and the others out. Nothing she didn't already know.

She reiterated the demands Dogland had already made. It wasn't the first time they'd been in this same position, but this time he was more worried than he'd ever been before. Still, he offered her the party line to give to Dogland, reminding her to suggest that he release one of the hostages in a good faith gesture. He expected her to relay the message. He expected her to be the negotiator he knew she was good at being. He didn't think even being held hostage could keep her from doing her job. Therefore her next words floored him.

"_Yeah, they're not going to do that. Don't worry about us. Not like these guys are any real threat anyway. I mean they actually think you're going to let them just walk right out of here. Stupid, huh? But I guess that's what you get when you are dealing with the dregs of society."_

What the hell? Why was she waving a red flag at a mean and angry bull? He removed his ball cap and rubbed his forehead with his arm before putting the cap back on. "Jules, what are you doing?"

He wasn't sure she even heard him. He heard the phone receiver hit something brutally and he was afraid Dogland had used it to strike Jules. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raf turn his back to the rest of the team, his fist clenched like he wanted to hit something. Spike flinched as if he had been the one to be hit. He could hear Dogland telling Jules what he expected of her. The malice was clear even though he wasn't actually speaking into the phone.

"_Sarge?" _She was hiding her pain well but he couldn't help but be reminded of the few times she felt like she was drowning in a negotiation attempt and needed his help. He wished he could do more to get her out of the situation.

"Can they hear me?"

When she assured him he couldn't be heard, Sarge took a deep breath. "Jules, don't antagonize them. We have three in custody so we know who we are dealing with. They are dangerous and have nothing to lose in this. They are capable of anything."

He shouldn't have to tell her that first part. She was not only trained but she was good at what she did. If she was going against protocol now, it was because there was a reason. He trusted her, but at the same time, he couldn't get the sound of that receiver striking something - was it her face, back of her head, what? - out of his mind. He couldn't stand to see her or any of his team in pain. It felt like a failure on his part if something happened to any of them. Seemed like lately he couldn't keep any of his teammates completely safe. He hoped by telling her that they had some of the men in custody she would know they were getting closer to being able to bring this to a conclusion.

"_I'm sure by now you've got snipers all in position. It wouldn't surprise me if they already had their laser sights trained right on about three or four of these bozos. You could take out most of them one shot each. Do what you've got to do, Sarge; I'll be fine."_

"What the hell is she doing?" Spike hissed out softly but Greg held up his hand to silence him as she continued.

"_You can always start off with some good CS gas and flash grenades just to totally disorient them. They don't have weapons so you could put an end to all this without even breaking a sweat."_

"Maybe she's trying to tell us how we should proceed." Raf suggested, turning back to them, looking more in control now than he had a moment before. "She has to know we found the blood and wouldn't risk using the gas in a room where someone was injured. Maybe she's letting us know it's okay."

Raf had a good point, but Greg believed it was more than that. Something in her voice told him it wasn't just a hint to them but a ploy of a different sort. It sounded to him like she was trying to throw her captors off their game, make them worried. Something was going on; there was a reason she was risking their retribution. "Jules, I'm sure you have a reason for everything you are saying. Whatever is going on in there, just remember, you aren't alone in this. We've got your back and we're going to get you out safely. Don't forget, whoever you are trying to protect in there, we need you too."

She'd been alone in what was happening since the explosion; she'd had to rely on her own instincts and skills with only the hope that help was close. He needed to remind her that she wasn't alone and that she could trust that they were going to get her out. Then Dogland's voice filled his ear again. It was obvious from the heavy breathing he heard first that the inmate was furious and rapidly losing control. His words confirmed that theory.

"_Look, you want your pretty little friend back in one piece, you get me a van and you get it fast. The quicker you do that the better off they'll be in here. You don't have time to waste; we got a guard in here that's not looking too good. He ain't gonna make it if you don't move fast. I'm surprised she ain't told you that; she's been so concerned about him."_

So that was it. Jules was protecting one of the guards. Was it the one whose blood they'd found in the hallway? What was she protecting him from and why hadn't she been negotiating for his release? Then the phone dropped. Fortunately, Dogland hadn't hung up the phone and they could still hear everything that was going on. Unfortunately, hearing was all they could do as it seemed the situation had just turned for the worse for Jules.

"_Where the hell is he? What have you done?" _

- FP - FP - FP -

The grip Dog had on her neck was tight and painful but somehow he hadn't cut off her ability to breathe completely. She'd done it; she'd managed to keep their attention diverted long enough for Barrett to get Parker out of the room. She hoped it was in time for the medics to be able to save him, but she couldn't dwell on that. Her own position was now more precarious than it had been. This was where she should backtrack and de-escalate the situation. Calm Dog and the others down before she or someone else got hurt. Trust her team to do the rest. She knew that was what she should do, but what came out of her mouth was totally different.

"Right, because with my hands and feet bound and being held by your Neanderthal here, there's so much I could have done. Asshole."

With the one hand still on her throat, Dog drew his other hand back ready to deliver a punch. Jules didn't flinch in anticipation of the blow that would probably hurt worse than any of the others she'd sustained during her captivity. Inwardly however, she cursed herself. Her mouth had always gotten her into more trouble. How many times growing up had saying the wrong thing at the wrong time made a situation worse rather than better? Even knowing it was better to say nothing, how many had times had she spoken anyway? It was as if the filter that censored her thoughts before they reached her mouth shut off at the worst possible times. This was definitely one of those times.

"She's got a point, Dog." Bear interjected. "Ain't no way she did anything with him. She couldn't have."

Dog lowered his fist without landing a blow. His expression was hard and furious. "Then where the hell is he? You treated his injuries; could he have gotten up and walked out on his own?"

"Hell no." Bear's answer was instantaneous. "Bastard's lucky if he even lives. Ain't no way he even crawled out. I'm just saying the Bitch cop didn't have anything to do with it."

Snake stepped closer to the three of them. There was a gleam to his eye that Jules didn't like; apparently he'd gotten over what Dog had done to him earlier. He reached out and touched her injured cheek. His touch bothered her more than any punch from Dog could. She wanted to squirm away from it but couldn't. Bear's grip on her arms was as tight as it had been and Dog's hand was still grasping her throat with bruising force. She knew she was in too vulnerable a position with all three of them. Snake leered down at her. "She knows somethin' though. I bet I can get it out of her. Let me have her and I'll find out anything you want to know. She'll probably even like it a little, when she's through screamin' of course."

Suddenly Snake was on the ground, blood spurting from his nose. The blow Jules had been spared had found its mark on Snake. The fist that felled the man switched to a pointing finger as Dog stared darkly at him. "What the hell did I tell you? Stay away from her or I'll do more than give you a bloody nose."

Then he turned back to Jules. She was breathing hard now that his hand wasn't on her throat any longer. He hadn't completely cut off her breathing but her lungs had been screaming for adequate oxygen nonetheless. The hand that was no longer squeezing her neck reached behind her and tugged at her ponytail. He removed the holder so that her hair fell freely around her shoulders. Then he ran his fingers through the loose locks. "Snake is right, though. You do know what happened to him. You gonna tell me or do I gotta force the information out of you?"

"Maybe one of your men slipped him out." Jules suggested, keeping her voice even and calm. She wasn't trying to antagonize him, but if she could cause dissent among the group, then she had to try.

Dog shook his head. "They wouldn't cross me that way. They want out of here and I'm their best chance of that."

Jules angled her head to the side like she was contemplating what he said, but really it was more of a way to pull away from the hand that was playing with her hair. "You sure of that? I seem to remember you sending several of your 'loyal followers' to raid the kitchen when we first came in here. How long does it take to gather a little food? I bet they either hightailed it out of here and left the rest of you to suffer the consequences or else they ran straight to my team and told them everything about you."

"She got a point, Dog." One of the other men stepped a little closer, but not close enough to be in striking range if Dog turned on him. "Where they at? Maybe she's right and they done spilled the beans on us. Who knows what the cop she was talking to told her."

There was a general murmur of discontent among the gathered men. Jules had them thinking, and not in a good way. Better to have them turn on each other. It would make them sloppy and make it easier for Team One to put a stop to their break out attempt. She knew the phone hadn't been hung up and knew Sarge would be listening to everything that was said.

Dog shook his head. "They wouldn't turn coat like that. If they were captured they'd keep their mouths shut but good. They know what's good for them."

Never, not even when she and Steve were trapped in the restaurant with a delusional gunman holding the patrons hostage, had Jules felt so cut off from her team. She missed not having her head set that kept her in contact with everything that was going on. Most of all she missed not having the team in her ear, offering support and advice, keeping her grounded and focused on the task and not the pain and fear.

"Maybe that's why they would talk. They do know what's good for them. Enough to know that you sent them out to be captured. Seriously? You sent them to raid the kitchen when you expected to be out of here in no time. Sounds to me like you didn't really care what happened to them." She glanced over to the rest of the gathered men. "Maybe he'll do the same with one of you next. Can you afford to take that chance?"

Dog stepped away from her and turned to face the group. "She's just trying to save her skin. I didn't beg any of you to sign up for this. You all wanted a chance to bust out of here same as me. If you've changed your mind, if you think you can't trust me to get us out of here safely, then there's the door. But just know that if you walk out there, then you're looking at adding more years to your sentence for the attempt. You stick with me and you'll be out of here. So what's it gonna be? Make up your mind quickly. Leave or shut the fuck up."

"We ain't going nowhere but out of this hellhole." Bear insisted. He gave Jules's arms a good tug, making her wince at the added pressure in her shoulders. He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "Ain't gonna do no good trying to turn us against each other. Not like we got anything to lose."

"We still don't know what happened to the guard." Reminded one of the men. "Wasn't one of us; we're all accounted for. He couldn't have walked out on his own and the bitch couldn't have helped him. So where the hell did he go?"

Jules had hoped the subject of Parker Douglas had been dropped but no such luck. Dog turned back to her, reached into his pocket and pulled out something that flashed in the light. Jules swallowed back her fear as she realized he wasn't as weaponless as she'd suggested to Sarge earlier. She should have known a convicted convict like Dog would have fashioned some sort of shiv or shank while in prison. He held the makeshift blade to her neck just below her ear.

"So how about it? What do you know about him getting out of here?"

Jules stayed silent. Realistically there was no reason to not reveal what she knew. Barrett had gotten Douglas out and they were both safe. It shouldn't matter how he'd gotten away but she couldn't bring herself to admit to anything. Bear gave her arms a shake causing the blade to nick her skin.

"Browning got him out of here." One of the other captured guards, the one who had caught Jules's eye before the escape, blurted out. There wasn't much he could do while being restrained but damn if he would sit by and watch anyone get hurt needlessly. Even if it meant lying a little. "She didn't know anything about it; Browning slipped in while you were on the phone and dragged him out while you were all distracted. Leave her alone, Dogland. You really think her friends are going to give you anything you want if you hurt her? Be smart, the only way you are going to get out of this in one piece is if you all give up right now and let her and the rest of us go."

"No one's going nowhere until we get us a van ride out of here." Dog turned back to Jules, stepping closer to her. She couldn't back up because Bear was right there almost pressed against her back. Dog took another step closer so that she was practically crushed between the two men. Dog was close enough that she could feel the effect her presence was having on him. It only added to her discomfort. Fortunately she didn't feel any of the same arousal from Bear. She was thankful for such small favors. Dog reached behind her and once more ran his fingers through her hair.

Jules looked him directly in the eye, refusing to cower before him. She was pretty sure he was just trying to intimidate her; after all, he'd kept Snake at bay because he hadn't wanted to get everyone stirred up until they'd gotten free. The shiv was still against the side of her face, and felt a little sticky after the earlier cut. However he'd made it, he'd managed to hone the makeshift blade until it was razor sharp. Even if there was room for her to move, she couldn't afford to do so without risking being cut even worse.

"What was Browning even doing sniffing around here? He's not a part of this, didn't know jack shit about it. I can't for the life of me think of a reason why he'd even come around here, let along risk his sorry ass by saving anyone. Do you know why he'd do it? I'm betting you do."

Jules didn't answer him. There was no way in hell she'd give him the satisfaction of thinking she was scared or cowed by him. His eyes narrowed and his fingers tightened on a lock of hair, pulling it sharply. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

The prison-made knife moved away from her face and the tugging on her head increased momentarily. Then with a sick grin he brought his hand around to reveal a chunk of her hair that he'd cut with his shiv. He brought the hair to his nose and gave it a sniff. His grin widened. "Nice, fruity. Not strawberry though. What kind of fruit flavor is that?"

Again Jules refused to answer even such a unimportant question. Free of the threat of the weapon, she jutted her chin out slightly, defiantly. She couldn't believe he cut her hair, a pretty good chuck from the looks of it. _It's just hair_ she tried to tell herself, _just like your bruises are just bruises. Nothing that can't be fixed. Stay strong. Sam's probably right outside the laundry door ready to end things any moment._

"It's not polite to ignore an asked question. Answer me or I swear I'll cut you baldheaded and pass around samples for all the boys to smell until someone comes up with the answer. Now, which would you prefer?"

Jules shook her head. "I thought you didn't want them all excited and thinking with parts of their anatomy other than their brains. What do you think smelling a woman's hair will do to them? Then again, maybe you aren't using your brain to do your thinking either. Here I'm thinking you wanted out of here but instead of working toward getting that accomplished, you're worrying about my shampoo."

"It's a simple question. Not like I'm demanding you tell me how Browning came in here and why he rescued the guard. I just want to know what type of shampoo you use. Do you know how long it's been since I've smelled scented shampoo?" He nudged up against her again so she couldn't help but feel his reaction.

_Don't antagonize them. _Sarge's words came back to her, as clear as if he was speaking right in her ear. _Whatever is going on in there, just remember, you aren't alone in this. We've got your back and we're going to get you out safely. _"Pomegranate. It's pomegranate and green tea shampoo."

Dog grinned and sniffed the locks he'd cut off once more. "Lovely. I can't wait to bury my nose fully into your hair and not just the hair on your pretty little head. Who knows, you might even like it. I bet I'll be able to show you moves you ain't never seen before." He pressed himself closer into her. Close enough that he could probably feel the rapid beating of her heart, a beating that had gotten more rapid with his close proximity. She thought she would have more time before she had to once again worry about the prospect of being assaulted. She was acutely conscious of the fact that the house phone was still off its base. She was absolutely certain her team was either listening in to what was happening or recording it if not both. Would they have to listen to her being raped? She could only imagine the hell Sam would go through if he was forced to listen to her degradation. She made herself a silent promise; if the worst was going to happen, her friends - Sam - wouldn't hear her make a sound no matter how much pain she endured.

Before she could do much more than make that promise to herself, Dog stepped back, suddenly looking very angry. "Bear, get her out of my sight and make sure she shuts the hell up. I'm getting us out of here. The sooner we're out of here, the sooner I can show the Bitch what it's like to be fucked by a real man."

"No problem."

Jules was too relieved at the reprieve to care that the big man was dragging her back to the spot where he'd taken care of Parker Douglas. Once there he kicked at her feet, knocking her off balance. She landed hard on her rear end and bit back a groan. Bear knelt down beside her.

He rummaged through the medical supplies he'd used on the guard and picked up a small roll of leftover gauze. "You heard Dog, I gotta make sure you shut up and I don't think you know how without being forced. Open up."

Jules just stared at him, not quite believing everything that was happening. With a growl of annoyance, he grabbed her already bruised and painful jaw and squeezed, forcing her mouth open. He shoved the roll of gauze into her mouth. Taking another roll, he wound it around her head, securing the gag in place. Once he was satisfied, he sat back, admiring his work. He nodded. "That should keep you quiet. I kind of like you like this. Definite improvement. Of course, when Dog finally has his way with you, we'll have to remove the gag. No way do I want to miss out on hearing you scream. It'll make all the time I've spent in this hell hole seem worth it."

Rising back to his feet he turned away from her. Jules continued to sit there. Her hands and feet were bound, the gauze gag was threatening to choke her worse than Dog's hand had when it was closed around her throat, and just about every part of her body ached with a ferocity the likes she couldn't ever remember feeling before. The only thing keeping her from giving in to the defeat that threatened to overwhelm her was the conviction that Sam and the rest of the team would move heaven and earth to free her. She just hoped they got there before anything more could happen to her.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: I had planned to go a little further with this chapter but decided that I had a reached a good ending spot. I hope you enjoy it. Once again thanks for all the wonderful reviews.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

Break Out

Chapter 6

"We should be doing something." Sam insisted as he stared down the hall toward the laundry room. Following Sarge's orders, he and Ed had moved to a secure location where they could keep an eye on the door leading into the room but wouldn't risk being seen. Sam's irritation and frustration had grown by the second as he thought about how close he was to Jules without being able to do anything to help.

Ed just looked at him. "Okay, what do you suggest?"

Sam shot him a glare. Ed's calm didn't help him in the slightest. In fact, it just made things worse. Why wasn't Ed more upset? Jules was his friend, had been long before Sam ever joined the team. Ed always took the safety of everyone on the team seriously and felt as personally responsible when things went wrong as they all knew Sarge did. Ed was a tactical person, accustomed to being able to make and follow through with a plan of attack for any situation. Sure, he could patiently wait on a sniper's perch for however long it took to resolve a situation because even then there was a tac plan in progress. Sitting there doing nothing should be bothering Ed just as much as it was bothering him. So why wasn't he showing it?

"I don't know. Get Team Four down here so we have the man power, storm the room with CS gas and flash grenades, disorient the subjects and take them down."

Ed nodded, so calmly that Sam wanted to shake him. "That could work but you know we can't do that. We don't know the condition of any of the hostages except for the fact that we know someone is seriously injured. We can't use CS gas for fear of causing further harm. You know I want to get in there just as much as you do. However, I can't and won't do anything that's going to put Jules or the guards at further risk. I know you don't want that either. Come on Sam, I know you are worried about her - we all are. Don't let that worry strip you of what you know is right. Wanting to rush in headlong, to hell with the consequences, is a rookie mistake. You quit being a rookie long ago. We're going to get in there and end the situation, and we're going to do it without unnecessarily risking the well-being of any of the hostages, including Jules. Until we have that plan, we're going to trust that Jules can and will take care of herself."

Sam slowly nodded, his irritation receding like air from a leaking balloon. Ed was right; he wasn't a rookie any more. He never would want Jules or anyone else to think he was anything less than confident in her abilities to take care of herself. He just couldn't shake the image of all that blood or the fear that any or all of it had belonged to Jules. It reminded him too much of how close he'd come to losing her twice already. Wasn't the saying 'the third time's the charm'? Could she survive a third dangerous situation the way she had the first two? "I get all that, Ed. I just feel helpless. We're so close and yet we still know nothing. Couldn't we at least get Spike or Raf to bring us a snake cam so we could get eyes in? Maybe if we knew exactly what was going on in there, the locations of both the hostages and the subjects, we'd have a better idea of what the best tactical plan would be. We both know it's going to come down to tactics ending the situation. Negotiations will only go so far and then they are going to stall. We know what they want and we know it's not going to happen. Sarge can't negotiate a standstill; he may be the best but he's still limited."

Ed had to admit that getting eyes in would be helpful. He was reaching to turn his radio to transmit when they caught a flash of movement down the hall. Ed punched Sam's arm and pointed. Someone was coming out of the laundry. As they watched, a man wearing prison garb slipped quietly from the room dragging someone with him. His back was to the two SRU officers so he wasn't aware of their presence until he bumped into the solid form of Ed standing right in his path. With a muttered curse, he dropped his hold on his burden and spun around.

"Jeeze, shit, what the hell are you trying to do? Give a man a heart attack?"

Ed folded his arms across his chest, giving the convict a stern look. "We could ask the same of you. Where do you think you're going?"

"It's not what it looks like." The inmate stammered.

Sam knelt beside the injured guard, checking his injuries. Though someone had obviously been taking care of the man, his injuries were still extreme. He looked up at the prisoner. "Looks to me like he's dying."

The man flushed. "Okay so that part is what it looks like. That's why I'm getting him out. I'm saving his life. I'm not part of the prison break."

Ed reached out and unclipped the key card from the inmate's clothes. He turned it over and looked at the name attached to the badge. He frowned and showed it to Sam. "If you aren't part of this, then why did you lock a guard in a closet and take his access card, Mr. Browning? Sam, can we safely get the guard out of here by moving him or do we need EMS?"

EMS had staged outside the detention block where it was safe. By protocol the medics weren't supposed to enter the scene until all potential threat had been neutralized and the scene had been declared safe. However, exceptions could be made when a life was on the line and the medic's safety could be ensured.

"I wouldn't try moving him." Sam insisted. "It's bad enough he was dragged all the way to the laundry room and now back out again. It's chancy bringing EMS in this far though."

Barrett Browning shifted uncomfortably. "It wasn't my idea to move him in the first place. If he dies, it's not my fault."

Sam ignored the comments; if he allowed himself to focus on Browning, he just might give in to the baser emotions that had been plaguing him since realizing Jules was in trouble. Instead, he focused on the guard's injuries. He felt only a twinge of guilt that he was glad that it wasn't Jules lying in front of him, slowly but surely dying. He wanted to see her, wanted her out of that room with every fiber in him, wanted to hold her and have that physical connection that would assure him that she was okay, but he didn't want to even contemplate her being in this desperate a shape.

"We'll see where blame lies later. You better just hope he doesn't die." Ed warned before turning back to Sam. "Radio Sarge, have Raf or Spike bring the medics down as far as the visitation rooms and then they can bring the stretcher the rest of the way. They can bring the snake cam with them when they come."

Sam nodded and turned his radio to transmit. Ed looked back at Browning. "And you are going to tell me everything you know about what's going on in that room."

"I told you I didn't have anything to do with anything. I'm innocent."

"If you were innocent, you wouldn't be standing here with that guard after locking up Curtis in a supply closet. But you know what, I don't really give a damn if you are innocent or not. The only thing I'm concerned about is that you were in that room with everyone else. That means you have knowledge that I need and you are going to give me everything I want to know. Do you understand me?"

The man nodded slowly, eyeing Ed warily. "I really don't know nothing. Yeah, I heard the explosions and used the distraction to overpower Curtis. I had my reasons for getting out of here and I would have been a fool not to take advantage of the situation. I guess I really am a fool because instead of getting while the getting was good, I doubled back to here."

"Why?"

"Does it matter?"

Ed stepped closer to him, his height and his no-nonsense expression making him look even more formidable. His voice level never rose past a cold even tone. "Yeah, it matters."

"There was an SRU officer here earlier talking to me; a nosy female cop that didn't know how to mind her own business. She was a real bitch and I was pissed as hell when she left."

All the emotions that Sam had been keeping a lid on since the call began switched to barely controlled fury hearing Browning talk about Jules in such a way. He started to rise, determined nothing and no one was going to stop him from planting his fist in the man's face. Or so he thought.

Before Sam could even get to his feet, Ed had Browning pressed against a wall, his arm shoved brutally against the man's chest, just shy of jamming it into his throat. "Maybe you missed the patches on the uniform. We're SRU as well, just like that 'nosy female' you've been speaking of so derogatorily. She's our teammate and, more importantly, she's our friend. As a matter of fact, we're pretty worried about her so you probably want to tone down the bad mouthing and start telling us what we really want to hear."

"Chill out, dude. I'm trying to explain; I was pissed but when I realized something was going down and she was trapped in here; I couldn't turn my back." Barrett continued, sounding more contrite after Ed's warning. "I risked my neck sneaking in there to rescue her, but she wasn't having any of it. She insisted that I get him out instead. There was no arguing with her and before you say anything, yes, I did try. I was tempted to throw her over my shoulder despite her protests and get out of there before anybody noticed."

Sam muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'then why didn't you?' Ed glanced back at him but didn't release his hold on Browning. Ed wasn't surprised by Browning's story. Of course Jules would put the welfare of the injured guard above her own. It was something they would all do, but especially Jules who wouldn't want the fact that she was a woman to give her preferential treatment.

Spike and Raf's arrival with the stretcher interrupted further interrogation. Ed didn't trust Browning not to bolt so he kept his eyes - and his hand- on him while the other three team members transferred the injured guard to the stretcher. Browning watched them nervously. "He gonna be okay?"

Ed frowned. "Do you care?"

"About him? Not really. I care about myself though. The little bit… I mean your friend threatened me. Said if he didn't make it, she'd make trouble for me. So I guess you could say I got a vested interested in whether he lives or dies. Not sure why I bother. It's not like I had anything to do with him getting hurt and it's because of me that he's even out of there with a chance to live. But I also know how the law works and her word would carry a lot of weight if she started trying to make things tough on me. So I guess it's better for me all around if he lives."

"Because it's all about what's best for you." Sam muttered. As much as wanted to forget all of his training and lay into the inmate for his earlier comments about Jules and his continued selfishness, he was glad that it was Ed who had stepped in. Ed could make the point while maintaining a semblance of control that would prevent either of them from called on the carpet for police brutality. Anything he did would be questioned with added scrutiny because of his relationship with Jules.

"Why the hell not?" Browning argued. "Ain't like no one else is looking out for me and my brother. I've got to look out for myself. So? Is he or ain't he?"

Sam looked back down at the guard that Jules had insisted be rescued. His medical knowledge was limited but it didn't take much to know he was in bad shape. "I don't know."

Raf looked from the injured guard to Browning then back to Ed. "We'll get him to the medics so they can get him to the hospital. What do you want to do about him?"

Ed glared at the prisoner. "I still need information from him. After the medics have taken care of the guard, come back here. Maybe by then, Mr. Browning here will have given us something that can help."

Raf nodded. "Copy that."

Spike handed Sam the snake camera. "She's alive, Sam. Sarge talked to her."

The entire exchange on the open line into the laundry room kept playing over and over again in Spike's head. He was now pretty sure Jules was only goading Dogland in an attempt to give Browning a chance to get away, but that knowledge didn't make it any easier listening to what sounded like her being hurt. If it had been that difficult for him just listening, how much worse could it be for Sam to see it first hand? But then again, he couldn't deny that it had also been a relief just hearing her voice and knowing for sure she was alive. Maybe it would be the same for Sam.

Sam accepted the surveillance equipment and the unspoken warning Spike had given him. Spike had chosen his words carefully; she was alive, not okay. He wasn't stupid. He knew any officer in Jules's current position would be a target for all the pent up rage and blame some prisoners maintained against cops for their current circumstances. The fact that Jules was a female only made her situation more precarious. As much as he'd been trying not to think of what the men holding her prisoner could do to her, the thoughts hadn't strayed too far from his mind. In ordinary circumstances, he'd lay odds on Jules being able to hold her own in a fight and to be able to protect herself. However when the odds were over twenty to one with the one probably injured, he wasn't sure the odds were completely in her favor.

"We're going to make sure she stays that way."

"Copy that." Ed agreed. He looked at both Raf and Spike. "Go on and get him to the medics and get back here. We don't have much time."

Browning squirmed a little under Ed's hold. "You're right about that, you know."

Ed just glared at him. "Right about what?"

"Not having time. You see my face? It's nothing compared to what they have and will do to your friend. At best, they're going to kill her." Immediately he sensed his words hadn't been taken kindly by either Ed or Sam. "Trust me, it would be better for her if they did kill her. You don't know these guys like I do. Hell, I don't want to know them the way I do. The things they'll do to her, no one should have to go through. Each of them will take a turn with her, playing out their sickest fantasies. By the time they're finished with her, she'll wish she'd let me get her out of there when I tried. That or she'll wish they'd killed her outright."

Ed tightened his hold on Browning, fully expecting that all the control Sam had demonstrated thus far was about to fly out the window with the inmate's predictions. He wasn't sure he'd even try to stop him if he did. Therefore, he was surprised when Sam merely turned his back on Browning and moved toward the door. The blond sniper started to thread the small camera under the door, angling it for the best view. Ed watched him for just a moment and then turned back to his prisoner. "You better hope you're wrong."

Barrett frowned. "Why? It's not like I'm one of the ones in there hurting her. I tried to get her out. Anything that happens to her because she wouldn't leave isn't my fault. You think I want anything to happen to her? It's in my best interest for her to get out of this alive. Besides threatening me if I didn't get Douglas out, she promised to help my brother if I did. She can't do that if she's dead."

Ed shook his head. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"

Browning simply smiled. "Believe what you want. I like to think of myself as a realist."

"Then realize this, punk," Ed warned him. "If you know anything that will help us get everyone out safely, you better own up to it. After all, it is in your best interest."

The inmate considered Ed's words carefully. "I'm surprised I got out of there with Douglas alive. Dog - he's the guy in charge in there - is ruthless; he's not going to let anyone or anything stop him from getting what he wants. I didn't know he was planning this; not like he talks to me with anything but his fists. However, I've spent enough time around him to know he's made no secret of the fact that he doesn't want to be here. A man gets that desperate, he's capable of anything."

Spike returned alone. "Raf is leading the medics out with the guard and then he'll be back."

Ed nodded and handed Barrett over to the demolition expert. "Watch him. I'm going to see how Sam is coming with the camera."

Spike nodded as Ed walked toward the laundry door. The tactical leader placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. Sam was still maneuvering the camera around trying to get the best picture. He was staring intently at the small screen, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"I gotta tell you, Sam; I'm proud of you. It couldn't have been easy listening to what Browning was saying about Jules. I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd lost your cool. It wasn't easy for me to listen to someone talk about Jules being hurt that way; I can't imagine if it had been Sophie."

Sam barely glanced Ed's way before returning his attention to the screen. "You think I needed Browning to tell me what those guys would want to do to Jules? It's been on my mind from the moment we realized she was probably trapped in here. I know what we're dealing with here. The thing is, I also know who they are dealing with. This is Jules. She's tough, tougher than practically anyone I know. They can try their worst but they're gonna have a fight on their hands if they mess with Jules. She's not going to make it easy for them to do anything. She'll fight back with everything she has and if she can't fight back physically then she'll fight back mentally. Even if they do manage to hurt her the way Browning was suggesting, they can't break her. She's Jules and she's unbreakable. She'll be fine; I'll make sure of it."

Ed couldn't help but be proud of the young man, even prouder than he'd been in Sam's restraint. This was such a contrast to the fears Sam had expressed earlier, but he sounded more like himself. In fact, Sam sounded so convinced that Ed had to believe him. "We'll all make sure of it."

"There." Sam adjusted the picture on the screen slightly, his breathing quickening. Sitting on the floor of the laundry room was Jules. It was obvious her hands were restrained behind her and it looked like her feet were bound as well. There was a gag in her mouth. Despite being so heavily restrained, Sam could tell Jules had retained some of her fire. He'd never been so glad to see her. He let the camera linger on her for a moment more, not wanting to lose sight of her. Then he changed the view so they could see the rest of the room.

The two men noted the location of each of the hostages, all of which at least seemed to have their hands bound. They also noticed where the inmates seemed to be in relation to the hostages. Sam frowned.

"That room is a tactical nightmare. Looks like this door and that outside door are the only two ways in. Any advantage of surprise we could get busting in would be lost before we could get enough people in to contain the situation. Even if we use the gas and flash grenades there's no way we can get the drop on them before they could hurt the hostages."

Ed nodded; Sam had a good read on the room. "Then we've got to do something to change things."

Sam looked at him. "Any idea what?"

"Not a clue."

- FP -

Author's Notes 2: So no Jules in this chapter but since the last chapter only had a mention of Sam, I thought it was only fair to return the favor here. I hope to have chapter 7 ready to post by the weekend. If it goes like I have it in my head, there will be a lot of action and maybe even a death. (I know; I'm cruel to tease.)


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Notes: And we're back to Jules for this chapter, and of course more Jules whump. Things are going to heat up with the next couple of chapters so I hope you continue to enjoy it. Thanks for the wonderful reviews; they mean the world to me. WARNING: This chapter contains rough language (including the F-word) as well as difficult to read conversation and scenes, but it doesn't get too graphic.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

Break Out

Chapter 7

Jules wasn't sure what bothered her more. Her wrists that hurt from the way the plasti-cuff was digging into her skin so that her hands felt swollen and tingly from being confined so long. Her ribs that protested every breath she took; she was pretty sure they were only bruised or maybe cracked instead of severely broken since she was able to breathe normally, but the knowledge didn't lessen the pain any. Her jaw that ached both from the roll of gauze jammed awkwardly into her mouth and from the repeated blows she'd endured. As bad as all that felt when she shifted her position on the floor slightly, she realized she really did know which injury was the most painful: her leg.

After first realizing she had pieces of shrapnel piercing her leg earlier, she'd avoided really paying attention to it, not that she'd really had time to focus on her aches and pains. She'd learned as a small child that not looking at an injury made it easier to push the pain aside. It was as if not paying attention to a wound made it almost disappear. It was a trick that had come in handy at times in her adulthood as well, especially at times like now when she was injured on the job but still had to focus on the task and not the injury.

Now, sitting on the floor trussed up like a turkey, she finally had no choice but to acknowledge she was hurt and nothing but time to check out how badly. She looked down at her leg. The dots of blood she'd first noticed had spread a little but not as much as it would have if the shrapnel wasn't still sticking in her leg. She couldn't help but think about how agonizingly painful it was going to be when a doctor finally got around to picking out the shards, which varied in diameter from the size of a really small sewing needle to a quarter inch screw. She couldn't help but wonder if she would survive to reach the point of a doctor being able to treat her.

_Stop it, Callaghan, _she mentally shook herself. _No getting morbid just because you are hurting, scared, and in a bit of a pickle. You're tougher than that. You'll do whatever you have to do to survive and you'll trust the team has your back._

With the team in mind, she glanced back toward the door. By now, surely Barrett had gotten Parker to safety. The team would know where she was being held, who they were dealing with, and were probably making a tac plan. She knew they couldn't just storm in, even though she secretly wished they would. It would be too dangerous to her and the other hostages if they did. But they would plan something and they would be close.

A slight movement at the door caught her eye and her breath caught in her throat. There was no mistaking the snake cam that had been slid under the door. The team - Sam? - was right on the other side, closer than she'd even hoped. Unbidden tears fill her eyes. Help was so close she could practically taste it. She wished there was some way she could signal whoever was on the other side, give some indication she knew they were there and feed them information. She was helpless to do anything though.

She turned her head away from the camera. As much as she wanted to hold on to that tenuous connection she had to her team, she didn't want Bear, Dog, or Snake, the three that had paid her the most attention, to look over and wonder what she was staring at. Sure enough, Bear was coming back toward her. He knelt beside her and checked to make sure she was still tightly bound and gagged. He noticed the tears in her eyes and wiped them away with his thumb. Jules flinched at the touch, not because the motion hurt but because every touch from one of these monsters made her wonder if they were finally going to give in to those urges to do more than just hurt her.

He chuckled. "You scared of me? You should be; I could break that pretty little neck without much effort at all. I could do the same to practically every bone in your body. I'd enjoy it too. I can hurt you so much that you'd beg me to kill you just to put you out of your misery. Right now, Dog just wants me to watch you and made sure you're good and shut up. That's what I'll do. You don't have to worry about anything else though. Dog put me in charge of you for a reason. He knew I wouldn't disobey him."

"Bear, come here a moment." Dog called out.

Jules looked over to him. The phone had been hung up so the team wasn't hearing anything anymore. The leader of the group was pacing back and forth, looking increasingly agitated. Jules knew that kind of agitation was dangerous, made him more dangerous. There was nothing she could do to try to calm him down though. The gag made negotiating with him impossible. Bear moved away from her obediently. Her eyes followed him. She had to pay attention to the two of them, try to listen as much as possible so she knew what they were planning.

She was so focused on the two of them, that she practically jumped when a hand shifted her hair, playing with the ragged end that had been cut off by Dog's makeshift weapon. A throaty chuckle filled her ear. "Scared ya, did I? Good, you should be scared of me."

Her stomach twisted. Snake. She'd hoped after Dog had busted him in the nose, he would finally give up on her. She should have known someone like him would only be more drawn to his target the more he was denied it. Something wet touched her cheek where she'd been cut. She realized it was Snake's tongue as it licked the injury. A hard shudder ran down her spine.

"Don't let Bear fool you. The idiot isn't that obedient. He ain't tried anything with you because you ain't his type. That's the reason Dog put him in charge of you. He knew he could trust Bear not to even want to touch you when he couldn't even trust his own restraint. Fool don't know what he'd be missing out on. Maybe once he sees the rest of us having our turn with you, he'll change his mind."

With him being behind her, she couldn't really see what he was doing, just shadowy movement in her periphery. She didn't want to turn her head to get a better look, not wanting her face any closer to him. She felt him shift slightly. His fingers tugged slightly at the neck of her t-shirt, slightly exposing her neck. Then his mouth closed in on the area at the base of her neck. A couple of his teeth sank into the skin as his mouth started to suckle.

Every fiber in her body wanted to squirm away, but she forced herself to remain absolutely still. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. When he finally pulled away, she was pretty sure she'd have a rather large hickey there as evidence. She wished her hands were free, her feet, her mouth, wished she had some way to fight back. Given the opportunity, she would make him regret ever even thinking about putting his hands or mouth anywhere on her.

She figured at any moment, Dog or Bear, or even any of the others would look over and notice that Snake wasn't doing what Dog had commanded. She didn't want to depend on her captors for protection but she'd take the help however it came. Snake didn't seem worried about being seen.

"Don't worry about them." Snake urged as if reading her mind. "After seeing me being punched by Dog, none of the rest of these guys will even look in your direction. They don't want to risk his anger since they want you about as much as I do. And since they saw Dog almost lose it over you as well, they know you're too dangerous to even look at. That gag'll keep you from distracting Dog and Bear from their work trying to get us out of here. Too bad though. I get off on the screams and the begging as much as I do the sex."

While he was talking, his hands were far from idle. They had found the soft swell of her breasts and were squeezing them roughly. His thumbs kept brushing over her nipples through the material causing them to involuntarily stiffen. Jules closed her eyes. She didn't want to think about who might be manning the snake cam right then and what he was probably thinking watching her being manhandled in such a way. She knew no matter how much the person would want to rescue her from this torture, they couldn't do anything without jeopardizing everyone. Part of her hoped it wasn't Sam; she didn't want to put him through that kind of pain. At the same time though, she didn't relish the idea of anyone else witnessing her humiliation.

She felt him shift position. Without stopping his slow torture, Snake moved from kneeling behind her to straddling her legs. Fortunately, he kept his weight off her legs but he was still close enough to her that she could feel an increased pressure on the shards embedded in her leg. He was also close enough that she could once again feel his arousal. She opened her eyes again, the look flashing in them pure venom. Snake merely laughed.

"Look at you, looking at me like you want to tear me to shreds. I bet you probably could too if'in you weren't all tied up like you were. I ain't see someone look at me with such fire since the night I fucked three generations in one night. I'd already had the woman, a pretty little brunette much like yerself. She kept begging me 'my child, my little girl.' Hell, I thought she was making me an offer; who was I to turn her away? Wasn't the first time I'd ever done a kid but she was definitely the youngest, hadn't even started to grow her some tits yet. I don't know who screamed louder, the kid or the mom. Just got me harder. Then the granny came in and well, hell, couldn't leave her out, could I? Might have been a mistake though; I'm pretty sure the mama was the one who gave the coppers my description and got me arrested. I guess she figured I screwed her so she'd screw me back. But somehow I think having you might beat even that hat trick. I can't wait to find out."

His squeezes of her breasts switched to hard pinches of her nipples as his mouth once more found her neck. For the moment, she was glad to have the gag that kept him from plundering her mouth the way he'd tried to do the first time he'd tried to attack her. He licked and suckled the area at the base of her throat, right at the pulse point. She was screaming curses at him but the gag muted the sounds to mere grunts. He moved slightly to the right to an area just above her clavicle. It was probably the most sensitive spot on her neck. Though Sam was always careful not to leave marks, he'd quickly learned that kissing her right in that same spot Snake was now attacking with a vengeance would have her reduced to putty in his hands in no time. It made her sick; though her body wasn't reacting to Snake's slobbery attack the way it would to Sam's sensual kisses, he was making a mockery of everything she held dear with the man she loved.

Despite being bound and gagged, Jules fought back as best she could, forgetting any earlier resolve to remain stoic. She squirmed and bucked, doing everything she could to dislodge his mouth from her neck, his hands from her chest, his body from being anywhere close to her. Even if she couldn't do successfully rid herself of him with her limited mobility, she at least planned on making it as difficult on him as possible.

A couple of the imprisoned guards shouted out protests, having just noticed what was happening to her. The reaction was swift. Bear was back to her side in just a couple of long strides. He grabbed Snake's neck with one of his beefy hands, pulling him backwards. Snake's teeth scraped against her skin as he was wrenched away.

Jules looked up at the large man, grateful the attack had been stopped however the help had come. The large man's eyes never left her face as his hands made one swift moment in opposite directions. With a quick snap of Snake's neck, Bear then released the man, letting him drop to the ground right beside Jules. Her would-be attacker stared up at her with lifeless eyes.

A scream of horror welled up from deep within her soul but was swallowed whole by the gag. She shook her head, not quite believing she'd just watched a man be killed right in front of her. She'd seen people die before, had even been the one to pull the trigger to end someone's life, but it had never seemed as brutal as this. Bear knelt beside her on the other side and grabbed hold of her hair and gave it a jerk.

"Told you I could snap a neck without any effort. Look at you, looking at me like I've done something horrible. Maybe you were enjoying the attention he was giving you. Don't worry though 'cause soon enough you'll have more than you can handle. If he could have kept it in his pants until Dog gave the go ahead, I wouldn't have had to kill him. It whatn't like he wasn't warned to stay away from you. Idiot should have listened. Not like you were worth getting killed over. Let it be a lesson to you. I halfway liked him but that didn't stop me for offing him when he didn't listen to directions. Imagine what I could do to you if you make the same mistake."

A litany of curse words bubbled up from within and only the gag kept her from spewing forth every vile name she'd ever heard or could think of. She was glad that the attack had been stopped, but nobody, not even someone as vile and heartless as Snake, deserved to die so brutally. She was shaking all over and she wasn't sure how much of it had to do with the shock of what Snake had been trying to do or with witnessing his murder.

Apparently satisfied that his point had been made, Bear released his grip on her hair and stood again. He stalked off back to where Dog had watched everything that had happened without protest or encouragement. Alone once again, Jules found herself drawn once more to Snake's lifeless body. Even in death, he felt like a threatening presence. She shuddered again and forced herself to look away from him. Her eyes then traveled to the door as if to seek the reassurance that the snake cam, and through it her team, was still there.

A couple of tears ran down her cheeks only to be caught by the gauze bandage holding the gag in place. The camera was still there. Help was still so close. She wondered who was on the other side of the camera, who had witnessed what Snake had tried. Again she felt torn. She didn't want to put Sam through the pain of helplessly having to watch her be manhandled in such a way but couldn't stand the thought of anyone else, not even her dearest friends, seeing her in such a way. She knew she'd done everything she could to stop what had happened, knew she wasn't to blame for what he'd tried, knew none of her friends would think less of her, but it still embarrassed her that anyone had seen it.

She knew her teammates saw her as an equal when it came to the job. As much as she might have had to fight and work her ass off to get her place on the team to start with, she'd more than earned it. She'd proven that she was just as capable of doing the job as any man could. She was good at her job - period, not just good for a girl. Snake's treatment of her, the threats that Dog had implied would happen to her if they got out of this building, were just freaking blinking reminders that she was different from the rest of the team, had different threats that faced her on some calls that wouldn't happen if it had been one of the guys in her position. She hated that almost as much as she hated feeling Snake's mouth on her neck and his hands on her breasts.

It didn't matter that she knew her teammates wouldn't treat her differently because of what had happened. Sure, they would be worried and concerned, not to mention outright furious at the treatment she'd been put through. But it wouldn't change the way they saw her or her ability to do the job. They loved and respected her too much for that. Yet, she would be reminded of the differences between her and them for awhile and she would hate that feeling for much longer than she'd sport the bruises of the day.

The phone rang. Though Dog had talked on the phone a couple of times since returning the receiver to its base, this was the first time a call had been initiated from the outside. It was probably Sarge, having been alerted to what had just happened. She could imagine the barely controlled worry in his voice when he asked if everyone was okay, wanting to know but not wanting to give away his secret knowledge that everything was not okay. He'd once again try to negotiate the release of the hostages without letting on that there was no chance in hell that anyone was going to let these dangerous men out of prison. She didn't envy his job. Negotiations of this sort were always difficult, knowing and caring about one of the hostages only made it even harder.

"Hot damn. I knew you'd come through. We'll be ready." Dog hung up the phone, looking almost gleeful.

Jules was confused. What the hell had Sarge told him that would make him that happy? It didn't make sense.

"Get ready." Dog warned them. "Our ride will be here in about five minutes. We're getting out of here. I told you it would work."

"The cops are giving us the vans?" One of the inmates asked, starting to sound as excited as Dog himself, although his excitement was tinged with a little suspicion.

"Hell no. That was Lenny, my friend from the outside laundry services, the one who was supposed to have the van waiting when we set off the explosives. He'd gotten tied up at one of the other buildings, some sort of lice infestation or some shit that he had to get special instructions on. That's why he wasn't there. Because the place has been on lock down since this all started, he's been stuck where he was. Now that the stupid cops are convinced the problem is here only, he's been given clearance to leave. He's gonna swing by and we'll get in the van and he'll drive us right out of here. The cops won't even know what's happening. They'll still be scratching their heads wondering how to get their friends out and we'll be long gone."

_No!_ Jules wanted to scream. This wasn't supposed to happen. The team was supposed to work out a way to get them out. The camera could pick up images but not sound. The team had eyes but not ears in. They would see them if they left the room but they wouldn't know what was happening. There wouldn't be time to come up with a plan to turn things around. She refused to believe the bad guys would win this one. It couldn't happen; her life and the lives of the captured guards depended on Team One working through a solution.

"Hey Dog, they really gonna let Lenny just drive right out of here without checking the vehicle?"

"Of course they are. I told you, they already cleared Lenny. They trust him. Why would they suspect him of harboring escaped fugitives? Besides, if they do search, they'll see us threatening to kill their co-workers. The guards at the gate ain't those think-they're-smarter-than-us SRU type cops, they won't risk their friends' lives by trying to be heroes. They'll let us go just to save them."

One of the inmates looked around the room. Jules could tell he was silently counting and trying to figure out how they were all going to fit inside one van. "We're taking them all with us?"

Dog nodded. "Yeah, they all go with us just so we can get past the gate if the guards do give us static. Once we're out and safe, we'll dump the guards somewhere." Jules noticed he didn't specify whether the guards would be alive or dead when they dumped them. She had a feeling it would more than likely be the latter rather than the former. Dog crossed the room and leaned down toward Jules. He grabbed her uniform shirt and pulled her to her feet. He pulled her close. "Except for her that is. I've got plans for her. Once I'm through with her, then the rest of you can have a go at her. Then once we've all gotten our fill of her, we'll think about letting her go. If she's still alive that is."


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Notes: A midweek update courtesy of the winter weather that hit the area this week. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter ready by this weekend. I hope you continue to enjoy. I always look forward to seeing your comments.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

Break Out

Chapter 8

Sam had watched the computer screen until his eyes were watering from fatigue. After doing everything he could to fully relay the layout of the room including the location of all the subjects, he'd returned the focus of the lens back to Jules, to hell with the consequences. If anyone questioned him about it, but he didn't think they would, he'd say he was making sure he could give an adequate report of her current condition. He'd noted the gag and the plasti-cuffs on her hands and feet. He could make out what appeared to be spots of dark stain on her leg that he was afraid was blood. Most of all though, he was glad to see that her clothes seemed mostly intact. Whatever they'd done to her so far, it didn't appear it had gone that far. He'd take small favors where he could find them. He sighed and glanced over to Ed, his eyes but not his heart needing a brief respite.

"I've been thinking." He began.

Ed frowned. "Jules is trapped in there with a bunch of dangerous criminals and we're out here unable to do anything to help her. I'm not sure thinking is such a good idea right now." Then when Sam didn't look away, he relented. "What about?"

"Why here? Why did they gather in the laundry room? Yeah, it's one of the few rooms with an outside door but why didn't they use it? They had the guards and with them the access cards for the doors. You heard Browning; he wasn't a part of their plan but he knew enough that he was planning on slipping out while things were still crazy. Why didn't they immediately get out before reinforcements had a chance to arrive?"

Ed considered his questions and followed where his logic seemed to be heading. "They had a reason for gathering here, a reason that has nothing to do with just it being big enough to hold them all. You're thinking this was their escape route not a gathering area, but things didn't go according to plan."

"Yeah," Sam breathed the word out. "I'll bet you anything they had a ride out of here planned but for some reason, that ride didn't show up. If we find out who it was supposed to be, we might could lure them out of the room where we've got the tactical advantage."

Ed didn't smile - the situation was too extreme for smiles until Jules and all the guards were safe. However, his eyes softened just barely, indicating his pride. "I change my mind; I like the way you think. Good catch, Sam. I'm going back to the office to talk to Greg, see if we can get a lead on who and figure out how to use it to our benefit. You okay staying and keeping an eye on the screen?"

Sam nodded. Spike and Raf had already left to escort Barrett Browning to a holding cell and then to coordinate with the three Team Four teams that were finishing their task of securing the other inmates not involved with the breakout. Ed started to walk away but then stopped and turned back. "Sam, I know you know this, but I feel like I've got to remind you. You are one man vs. more than two dozen. You can't play hero and go rushing in on your own if things get tricky in there."

"I know that." Sam insisted, trying not to sound offended but not quite succeeding. Did Ed think he was still a rookie? Or did he just think he would be too blinded by his personal feelings to do his job properly?

Ed reached out and put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I know you know that. I said that already. I also know that Jules is in there and she's in danger. I know that those guys have already hurt her and there's no guarantee they won't hurt her again. I know that you love her and I know you don't want to see her hurt. I also know that you'd feel the same if it were any of us in there, but especially since it's Jules. And knowing all that I know how difficult it will be on you if they do something worse to her. If something goes down in there, it would be hard for the most seasoned, unaffected cop to stand by and just watch it happen. But, short of threat of death, that's what you've got to do. Rushing in will only put Jules, the guards, and yourself at risk."

"It wouldn't be the first time I've pushed aside my need to rescue Jules when her life was in danger. I might not like it; it might tear me up inside to do it; it might even make me physically sick inside but I think I've already proven that I can put my feelings aside and do the job."

The biolab. Jules lying on the floor slowly bleeding to death and breathing in deadly anthrax spores. His worst nightmare. A nightmare that had replaced his prior worst nightmare of the day on the roof when Jules had been shot by Petar Tomasic when he'd sought his revenge on Ed. Somehow Sam thought it was a worst nightmare that was about to be replaced by today's events.

"I remember." Ed admitted. "I had to say it though. And now that I have, I'll also say this. If something happens and you are forced to stand by and watch when you'd really like to get in there and kick some ass, you can put the blame on me for not being able to. Not that I think Jules would ever blame you, but I know you'd blame yourself." Ed started down the hallway without another word.

Sam turned back to the camera. Immediately his eyes went back to Jules, who was thankfully still alone. He made a mental promise to her that it would all be over soon. As soon as the thought formed in his head, he saw her head turn toward the door. He knew she'd spotted the camera by the way her eyes widened just slightly and her breathing changed ever so slightly. He was probably the only one who could read her that way but he was glad that he could. He hoped that knowing he and the team were so close would make things a little easier for her. Knowing she knew certainly made him feel better.

"Just hold on, Baby. We're going to get you out."

- FP - FP - FP -

As soon as Ed explained Sam's theory to Greg and the warden, Jenkins picked up the phone and dialed a number. After speaking to a guard at one of the other detention blocks, Jenkins hung up the phone and looked at both Greg and Ed.

"Lenny Beemings. I should have put two and two together before now. He handles our outside laundry service. Today is his regular run and if he'd been on his normal schedule, he would have been at this building when those explosions happened. Chances are, since they captured the guards assigned to this building before they could sound the alarm, we wouldn't have known anything was wrong if your officer hadn't been in the building and on the radio with you when the explosions occurred. It was after your dispatcher called that I even knew to check to see what had happened and order the lock down. Lenny could have driven them straight out without anyone thinking twice."

Sarge frowned. "Where's this Lenny now? What made his schedule different today?"

"He got delayed at one of the other buildings. Once we went on lock down, he had no choice but to stay put. I've got an officer bringing him over right now; without letting him know why of course."

Sarge nodded, glad that Jenkins had used discretion. "Ed, if we could lure the subjects out of the room and out into the open, could you make a tac plan work that would be safe for the hostages?"

Ed nodded, moving to the blue print of the entire compound. He pointed out two close buildings. "Sam and I can take Sierra positions here and here; since we're not actually in the building, we can use real ammunition instead of rubber bullets. Everyone else could be in position hidden around the area. With flash grenades and CS gas, I think we could neutralize the situation with little to no injuries to the hostages."

If Sarge questioned the idea of Sam taking a Sierra position, it never showed on his face or crossed his lips. He simply nodded. "Okay then, get things set up. As soon as Lenny gets here, we'll have him call in and act like the plan is back in play. He can lure them out without them expecting to be captured. While their guards are down, we'll get the drop on them."

Ed continued to stand there for a moment, looking at Greg with his patented no-nonsense piercing stare. "Two problems with that plan, Boss. One, we don't know for sure yet that Lenny was the one conspiring with the subjects."

Before he could even voice his second concern, Greg answered the first. "True, but he's our best bet and we can't afford to waste time. We can get everything in place and if it's not Lenny, then we'll work out a different way to lure them outside."

It made sense, but Ed wasn't completely satisfied. "Okay, let's say Lenny is the one working with them. That brings me to the second thing worrying me. How are you going to convince him to work with us?"

Greg's shoulders slumped ever so slightly. Not so much that Warden Jenkins probably noticed but Ed knew Greg better than practically anyone. The tactical leader could tell the toil this call was taking on Greg; was it just that one of his own was in danger or was it something he'd heard while listening in through the phone line? Greg didn't quite meet Ed's gaze. "I'll remind him that even if he didn't get to carry out his part of the escape plan, even being complicit in the knowledge of what was planned makes him accountable for anything that happens during the escape attempt. We already have one guard in critical condition and we don't know about the others. His only hope for leniency is by helping us to bring this to a peaceful closure."

The door opened and a guard entered leading a man in a white uniform, presumably Lenny Beemings. Ed studied him carefully. Even though he had heard Jenkins say the guard wasn't going to let on to why Lenny was being brought in, the laundry man's nervousness was palpable. Ed's concerns disappeared. Greg's skill at negotiation against Lenny's obvious guilt would ensure that Lenny would help them. Ed glanced back toward Greg. "I'll get started on everything."

After leaving the office, he pulled Raf and Spike as well as the members of Team Four aside where they could talk without Lenny hearing. Plans were made based on Ed's initial suggestions of the situation. Spike suggested that Raf position himself in the van with Lenny so that the suspected and probable accomplice didn't somehow alert the subjects to the set up. Team Four's leader also suggested leaving one of his people at the door leading out of the laundry room into the detention block proper in case someone tried to sneak out that way for any reason. Ed agreed with the both suggestions.

With the plan set and with Sarge's acknowledgment that Lenny was on board for helping them, Ed left his teammates and Team Four to get into position. He made his way back to the laundry door. With him was the member of Team Four that was going to man that door. Once Ed had collected Sam, the two of them would have to retrieve the Remmys from the trucks and get into their sniper positions on the nearby roofs.

As soon as he got close to Sam's position, he could tell something was wrong. Sam's whole body practically vibrated with unbridled tension, like a rubber band that had been wound way too tight. A rubber band that the slightest touch would send it snapping completely out of control. "Sam?"

The younger man merely glanced at him, his eyes barely leaving the computer screen. That brief glance, however, spoke volumes. There was a smoldering fire of barely contained rage, the kind that made the normally easy-going guy seem dangerous and almost out of control. There was a slackness in his jaw that suggested he'd seen something that he couldn't quite fathom or stomach. Considering all he'd probably seen during his tours overseas, that bothered Ed more than anything.

Without further questions, Ed took the screen from him and studied it intently. Jules was still sitting on the floor much as she had the last time he'd seen her. The only thing different was the addition of a body lying still next to her. Ed recognized him as one of the subjects but couldn't tell if he was merely unconscious or dead. He handed the screen back and looked once more at Sam, the question obvious in his expression.

"He's dead." Sam mumbled, his voice harsh and not the least bit sorry.

Ed glanced back at the screen once more even though he knew it didn't hold any answers. "What happened?"

Sam opened his mouth to explain but the words wouldn't come. How the hell was he supposed to explain what he'd witnessed in those moments before a man's neck had been snapped like a twig? How was he supposed to tell how he'd wanted to forget his training, forget the warnings Ed had left him with, forget everything but getting in that room and stopping the man who was doing unspeakable things to the woman he loved? He glanced back at the screen again, taking comfort in the fact that the bastard had been stopped before doing any lasting harm to Jules. He couldn't feel any sympathy for the dead man at all; if anything, he felt the man had died too easily.

"He was going to…. He was…" The words wouldn't come and then Sam noticed that Ed wasn't alone. No way in hell was he going to try to explain while a member of another team was standing there. "It doesn't matter now; the situation was neutralized. Tell me we have a tactical plan."

Ed knew eventually Sam would have to talk about what he'd witnessed but let the matter drop for now. Jules appeared to be in one piece and considering she and the guards were all bound and unable to do much, the death of the man had to have come at the hands of one of the other subjects. Details could come later. He nodded. "We do. Adam's going to man the camera here while you and I get the Remmys."

Even though the idea of a tactical plan appealed to Sam more than standing there useless, he was a little reluctant to leave the only contact he had with Jules. He frowned. "I don't think our rubber bullet cartridges fit on a Remmy."

"Trust me, I don't plan on us using rubber bullets. I'm Sierra One and you are Sierra Two; if we're needed, we'll be anything but less lethal. You up for that?" The question was lighthearted and rhetorical, but Ed knew Sam would understand the real undertone of it. Given whatever he'd witnessed on that screen which Ed could only guess must have been horrific, Ed was asking if Sam could push it aside in order to handle the equally tough task of being Sierra.

Sam nodded slightly. "Yeah, this needs to end. The subjects are on edge and it's only a matter of time before they start taking their frustration out on the hostages. You can fill me in on the plan as we go."

- FP - FP - FP -

"Van just pulled up." An inmate who'd positioned himself near the door announced. "Why didn't he get closer?"

"Lenny's not going to draw attention to himself. If he parks right next to the building, he could make someone suspicious and that would make it more likely the guards will search the vehicle when he leaves. This way it'll just look like he paused to check some of his load." Dog explained. "Let's get ready to go."

He threw one of the access cards to one of the other prisoners. "Riggs, take Gary and check it out, make sure it's not a set up."

The inmate that caught the card just stared at him. "Why are we checking for a set up? I thought you said we were in the clear."

Dog looked annoyed. "We are, but there's no sense taking chances. Just go out there to the van and make sure there're no cops around. Once you're sure it's clear, then signal us and the rest of us will come out."

"And if it's not?" The man argued back. "Then Gary and I take the hit. How fair is that?"

Dog's expression hardened. "Perhaps you'd rather I just leave your ass here when we get out of here. Do I have to remind you that if it weren't for me, you'd still be in a cell right now? The way I see it, if I want you to put your ass on the line and check things out, it's the least you can do. Now get out there before Lenny gets nervous and takes off. Or perhaps Bear needs to remind you what happens if you don't do as you are told."

For a moment, Jules thought the inmate was going to refuse again. She was once more being held in Bear's tight grasp. After watching what he'd done to Snake, his hold felt even more dangerous. She realized he could snap her arms much the way he'd done Snake's neck. Apparently Riggs was thinking along the same line because he didn't protest further.

Even though she'd watched Bear take a man's life, she didn't quite feel as endangered being held by him as she had in Snake's or even Dog's presence. She knew the large man didn't have sexual designs on her the way the other's did and that gave her just a little more security. Even if he beat her or broke every bone in her body, she could withstand that sort of physical pain better than she could the things Snake had done to her.

Despite her earlier concerns, she was pretty sure that this new development in the escape attempt was a set up. No way during a lock down would this guy have been given permission to just leave no matter how much they trusted him. Even she would have had trouble getting out of the prison if she'd hadn't been captured and she was SRU. But she was also convinced that Riggs and Gary wouldn't see any signs of a trap when they went out. The team would be well situated and out of sight until all the inmates and the hostages were out in the open.

She stole just a brief glance back toward the interior door. The snake cam was still in place, probably with someone other than Sam watching to alert the others as soon as the room was clear. Feeling someone watching her that didn't have anything to do with the snake cam, she stiffened slightly, hoping she hadn't drawn attention to the camera's presence with her look. Then she realized that it was a guard that was looking her way. When he realized he had her attention, he raised any eyebrow. Of course, the guards would have also realized the story didn't match with the protocols they worked with. She gave just the slightest of shrugs, hoping Bear would think she was just stretching her muscles.

She hoped the guard would take the shrug for what it meant. She didn't know how the rescue attempt would come, but they should be prepared for anything. The guard's answering nod was just as slight.

Bear gave her a little shake. "Won't be long now. I'm sure Dog has a hideout all ready for us and then they won't have anything holding them back. Between the sexual fantasies your presence here has built up in them and their natural hatred for cops in general and SRU in particular, by the time they all finish with you, you'll probably be wishing I'd given you the same easy death I gave Snake. I won't do it though. I'll get my pleasure watching you suffer at their hands."

"Okay, Riggs and Gary are signaling that it's all clear." Dog reported. "Grab the guards and let's go."

He stepped toward Bear and Jules. Bear released her arms and gave her a push in Dog's direction. Dog could have easily caught her but didn't even make the attempt. Jules went down heavily to her knees. Pain radiated up her body from the jar and she was glad that the gag swallowed up her groan of pain. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing she was hurting. Dog reached out and grabbed her hair at the back of her head. He gave it a jerk. "I have to say I like you in that position. Rather fitting you might say. I almost wish I had time to take advantage of you being on your knees. Guess that'll have to wait until we're out of here and I can remove that gag."

Pulling on her hair with one hand and her arm with the other, he jerked her to her feet once more. Since she couldn't walk with her feet bound, Dog wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her off her feet. As he carted her off toward the door, he leaned in closer to her ear. "I bet you thought your friends were going to rush in and save the day and your body from all kinds of imaginable hell. Instead, we're gonna be long gone before they get a chance to rescue you and these other jackasses. I almost wish I could see their faces when they bust in here and find nothing but Snake's dead body over there. I guess we get the last laugh."

Though the day was warm as they stepped outside into the sunshine, Jules couldn't help but shiver slightly. She trusted her team; she trusted Sam. She was pretty positive, despite all appearances, the inmates were walking into a trap rather than freedom. All she had to do was be patient and keep her eyes opened and wait for the team to do whatever it was they had planned. _They'll show you,_ she silently warned Dog. _We'll be the ones having the last laugh, not you."_

- FP - FP - FP -

Author's Notes 2: Please don't think I wimped out by not showing Sam's reaction to what happened to Jules. That will come out in later chapters, I promise.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Notes: I'm hoping to be able to do another midweek update this week. No, we aren't expecting more snow (at least not that I know of) but the next chapter is pretty much planned in my head, so I'm hoping it will be easy to get down on paper. No promises though. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I don't think it's as difficult to read as some of the previous chapters but it does get a little rough. Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. I can't believe the response I've gotten. Reading your comments always makes my day.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

Break Out

Chapter 9

Practically everywhere she looked, Jules saw faces that no one else seemed to be seeing. While this would normally be a cause of worry for most people, Jules found it extremely comforting and reassuring. She could see what the guards and the inmates staging the break out couldn't see because she knew where to look and what to look for. While usually SRU was a high profile job, there were times when a situation, such as this one, called for a degree of stealth. Those times when the team needed to be in position to cover or intercept without the subject or subjects being aware of their presence.

So while Dog and his crew left the building that had been their home since being incarcerated thinking they were about to be free, Jules knew help was carefully positioned ready to save her and the guards. She'd made out the mostly familiar faces of the members of Team Four and the welcomingly reassuring face of Spike scattered about the yard. Spike was the only one of her team she saw but she knew the others were around. If she had to guess, Raf was probably hidden inside the van that was supposed to be the getaway vehicle for the convicts. Sarge was probably somewhere behind her, ready to pop out of the building they'd just vacated to further negotiations if needed. She glanced up just slightly and caught the glint off the muzzle of the sniper rifles that only someone who knew what she was looking for would notice. That's where Ed and Sam would be.

Jules felt her lip tremble a little around the gauze that was acting as the gag. As comforting as the familiar faces she could see were, the one face she really wanted to see was Sam's. She considered herself an independent person, not one who needed someone else to lean on. That didn't stop her for wanting Sam in this moment. She wanted him to wrap his arms around her, wanted him to assure her that nothing that happened in that laundry room today meant anything, wanted to look into his eyes and know he was being honest with her.

It wasn't that she felt like what Snake had tried or what Dog had insinuated would happen to her had changed who she was or had affected her sense of worth. As revolting as the whole experience had been, as much as her stomach still twisted in knots and her skin crawled just at the memory of Snake putting his hands and mouth on her, she knew she was still the same person she'd been when she'd first entered the prison to question Barrett Browning. She'd fought back as much as she could and had done nothing to be blamed for. She knew it wouldn't change the love she had for Sam or that he had for her. But would it change things? Whether he'd seen what had happened or had just heard about it, could he look at her without dwelling on how she'd been hurt? Would he look at her and be reminded of what happened to the point that he felt an overwhelming need to smother her with protection?

The guard who'd sent her questioning looks inside the room was now sending her another such glance. She could read the meaning as clearly as if he'd verbally spoken. _Was help nearby? Would this soon be over?_

She nodded with her eyes, not wanting anything in her body language or reactions to give anything away to the man who was half carrying and half dragging her along. She knew if any of the inmates actually reached the van, the advantage of space the team had gotten by luring the out would be gone. She might not be in the periphery with the rest of the team, but she could help stall things as long as possible.

She began to struggle in Dog's arms. With her hands and feet bound and the gag in her mouth, there was a limit to what she could do but Dog had to stop walking in order to reestablish his hold on his captive. Seeing her fighting again Dog, the guard took the same cue and also began to struggle. He called out to his fellow co-workers telling them they shouldn't just allow them to escape without fighting back. The others joined in the struggle, but Jules wasn't sure if it was because they were taking his words to heart or they realized he was up to something.

Though their hands being bound meant the guards didn't really have a chance of overpowering their captors or even getting away, their struggles did serve two purposes. One, it brought the forward motion toward the parked van to a grinding halt. The second advantage was that the inmates were forced to turn their full attention to trying to subdue their struggling captives. Almost as if it had been a carefully rehearsed training exercise, the hidden SRU officers didn't waste the opportunity that presented itself.

Jules knew what was coming; while this wasn't a training drill that they could practice over and over again until they had it down perfectly, she'd participated in many such drills in the past. In a situation were there were this many subjects and hostages to worry about, the less lethal options of flash grenades and CS gas were the best offense the team had. Knowing what was coming and even knowing the directions the canisters would be coming from, however, didn't mean she could escape the full effects of their use.

She could, and did, shut her eyes a split second before the first flash grenade went off. It prevented the photoreceptor cells in her eyes from fully activating and momentarily blinding her. Though even with her eyes tightly screwed shut, she still saw colored lights flash before her as the brightness of the grenade penetrated even her closed eyelids.

There wasn't much she could do to prepare herself for the sudden, loud, concussive blast that accompanied the flash. She was momentarily deafened but she knew it was only a matter of moments before the loss of hearing would be replaced by an annoying ringing of her ears. In several minutes, she would have full hearing back.

The CS gas was harder to protect herself from. Sure, they occasionally ran drills involving CS without their gas masks so they would know what would happen if they were accidentally exposed during a call. Though they all hated those painful but necessary drills, Jules was glad for them as the irritating mixture filled the air.

Her closed eyes saved her from the worst of the burning that was a trademark of the use of the non-lethal gas. However it didn't stop it completely. Besides the flashes of colors swirling in her head, her eyes were watering as if she'd been crying for hours. The powdery substance that made up the irritant, went up her nose, making her cough violently. The gag stuffed in her mouth acted somewhat as a filter from inhaling too much of the substance but it also made the coughing that was a natural reaction more difficult. It also made it harder for her to catch her breath. As much as she hated to admit it, it was probably a good thing Dog had such a tight grip on her or she would have quickly lost her balance, even if her feet had been free.

As her body reacted to the rescue measures the team was taking, she was unable to focus on the actual rescue itself, but she trusted that the team was doing everything possible. Even in her misery from the effects of the flash grenades and CS canisters, Jules expected at any second for Dog's hold on her to not only loosen but to unhand her completely. After all, he would be even more affected than she was. Therefore, she was surprised when rather than releasing her, Dog's grip tightened on her waist to the point that her already sore ribs felt like they were about to be snapped in two as easily as Bear had broken Snake's neck earlier. It made breathing, which was already labored thanks to both the gag and the gas, even more difficult and painful. Was it reflex or design?

She opened her eyes but they were too blurry to make out anything but the shadows of the uniformed members Team Four and Spike as they surrounded the area. She couldn't make out details but she thought - or maybe it was hoped - they had several of the escaping inmates back in custody. She was pretty sure the others would give up now that they knew escape was impossible.

Her eyes were watering, her lungs were burning, and her ears were ringing but Jules was fully capable of knowing what the cool touch of metal at her neck meant. Instead of giving up, it seemed Dog was more determined than ever to get free. He was shouting but she could only make out some of his words but the shiv threatening to cut her throat filled in the blanks.

"Don't…step. I…slit…Bitch's…death…hands."

- FP - FP - FP -

From the moment the door opened and the first figured stepped out of the laundry room into the bright sunshine, Sam had his scope trained on each face, searching for the one face that he not only longed to see but needed to see. Stranger after stranger emerged, some clad in prison garb and others in the uniform of a guard, but no Jules. Sam's frustration and worry grew in equal measures with each successive face that wasn't the one he was looking for.

Logically, he knew nothing had happened to her. Well, nothing more than she'd already suffered. Adam was watching the screen from the snake cam and would have reported if she'd been hurt. He just had to be patient.

_Patient, yeah, right. _He thought. _How the hell am I supposed to sit back and pretend this is just any ordinary hot call after what I saw? _The image of that bastard taking sick pleasure in the way he was touching Jules earlier kept replaying in his mind like a horrible movie he couldn't turn off. It had been bad enough seeing him violate the woman he loved, but seeing the change in Jules's posture as it was happening was even worse. He'd seen her go from carefully schooling her emotions so that no one except someone who knew her better than she knew herself could tell what she was feeling to it being painfully obvious how bothered she was. She only lost control of her composure like that when she felt like things were completely out of her control, a situation Sam knew she hated as much as she hated what was being done to her.

"_There's something I don't think we've considered with this plan,"_ Spike suggested from his position on the ground.

Sam frowned. Everything was in motion; he didn't want to hear how it could go wrong. Sarge's voice filled his ear asking Spike to elaborate.

"_There's so many involved here; what if some reach the van and get in before the rest are out of the building? If we use the flash grenades and CS too early, some could go back inside and then we're right back where we were. Or some are in the van unaffected by either."_

"_Adam and I will handle things if any come back inside. Raf will take care of any that get in the van. Hopefully it won't come to either of those possibilities. We're going to hope we're able to corral all of them at the same time." _Sarge assured them.

Sam stopped listening though as Jules came into view. His breath caught in his throat as he got a better look at her through the scope than he'd been able to see on the snake cam. It was still frustrating to know she was still too far away for him to be able to really look at her with just his own eyes or to hold her in his own arms. Currently, she was being half carried and half dragged by the leader of this coup. This time however, he was able to get a closer look at her face. He didn't focus on the bruises or the blood though it hurt him terribly knowing they were even there. Instead, he focused on her eyes. There was a fire still in them. That hot Callaghan temper that he loved so much, the one he'd sometimes rile up just to get her going. She hadn't lost that spark that made her one of the strongest people he knew. It gave him more reassurance than just knowing they were about to end things.

He also saw her looking around and knew she'd spotted the team. He was glad she knew they were there; she didn't have to handle everything alone. When she started to struggle in the arms of her captor, he knew it was more about stalling things in order to help the team rather than anything else. Then the guards picked up on her cue and also began to struggle. If it had been a part of the tactical plan, it wouldn't have worked as well.

Intentional or coincidental, the sudden struggle gave the team the opportunity they needed. With their gas masks in place, they lobbed the flash grenades and the CS canisters into the thick of the crowd. Sam and Ed were both far enough away that they didn't need gas masks and could still safely maintain their aim with the rifles. Still, Sam found himself holding his breath as he watched the captors and captives, especially Jules, react to the combined effects of the non-lethal means of containment.

Perhaps because he was so focused on Jules, he was the one who noticed that the man holding her was not reacting the same way as the others. Sure, he'd blinked rapidly with the flash of the flash grenade but the CS didn't seem to have any effect on him. Sam swore. He knew that, while it was rare, there were some people with a natural immunity to the effects of the CS. Why did the guy threatening Jules have to be one of them? He saw a glint of metal and swore once again.

"The guy holding Jules has a weapon, can't tell exactly what it is but he's got it at her throat."

"Don't take another step. I swear I'll slit the Bitch's throat if you do. Her death will be on your hands." Dogland's voice didn't so much as quaver as she yelled out his warning. It was in stark contrast to the coughing fit Jules was currently experiencing.

"_Team, status?"_ Sarge asked as he came out the laundry door behind the escapees. He had his own gas mask in place and there was still enough of the CS filling the air to make it difficult for him to full access the situation.

Ed was the one to answer. His and Sam's positions above everything gave them both the best tactical view of everything that was happening. They were high enough up that the gas wasn't as condensed as it was on the ground and gave them the vantage of being able to see what those in the midst of gas couldn't. "_Team Four and Spike managed to contain almost all of the subjects with the initial assault. The main threat right now is Dogland. He wasn't affected by the CS and he's threatening Jules with what looks like a shiv."_

"_Copy that. I've got a visual now. Do either you or Sam have a solution?"_

"_Negative." _Ed's answer was immediate. "_No solution without too much of a risk to Jules."_

Sam checked his position once more. He had a perfect line straight to Dogland's head. If it wasn't for the shiv pressed against Jule's jugular, he could make the shot with very little risk to Jules. However, since the weapon was in play, there was little he could do. Even a perfect kill shot would also kill Jules since the weapon would slit her throat either by gravity dragging Dogland's body downward or by a split second reaction from the man before he died. "No solution…yet."

"_Copy that."_ Sarge again replied. He had to trust that negotiation would either talk Dogland down completely or at least give his Sierras time or opportunity to find a solution. Then he raised his voice to address Dogland.

"Dogland, Sgt. Parker again. We talked on the phone earlier. Let's talk this through. No sense in anyone getting hurt here. Let's figure out a way to make that happen."

"Only one way that's happening. You let me walk over to that van unhindered and it drives me out of here. Otherwise, your pretty little officer here is going to have a second smile."

It didn't escape anyone's notice that Dogland's pronoun use had changed from _us_ to _me_. He didn't care what happened to the rest of the inmates trying to escape. He was in full survival mode and only cared about himself.

"_Sarge, he doesn't know I'm in the van. Maybe we could let him think we're giving him what he wants and I can contain the situation in here."_ Raf suggested from his position in the van.

"_Too risky. We'll only go there if we have to." _Then to Dogland, he continued. "It's not as easy as that. How about you lower that weapon just a little? We wouldn't want something to accidentally happen.

Dog smiled, looking every bit the predator. "Accident huh? You mean like this?"

His wrist flicked out but instead of cutting Jules's throat, he cut another swatch of her hair, this time on the opposite side from before. Jules flinched as the one handed movement pulled her hair as much as cut it. The strands of brown fell to the ground as Dog laughed. "Oops. I'm not going back in and if I had to prove I'm serious by cutting off locks of her lovely hair until she's bald headed, I will. Then I'll start cutting skin instead. You really want me to do that to this pretty thing?"

Sam felt his jaw clinch. He didn't have a Scorpio call and he couldn't make the shot without risking Jules's life in the process, but his finger twitched with the need to pull the trigger. Sam took a slow measured breath to calm himself down and refocus on the task before him. He couldn't and wouldn't let his personal feelings get the better of him. He owed it to himself and to Jules to show he could still be professional even when Jules was threatened.

"You know we don't want that." Sarge assured Dog. "Look, so long as you are holding that shiv to her throat, we've got to consider you a threat. We take threats very seriously, especially when it's one of our own being threatened. We'd have a better chance of working out a solution if you would just lower that weapon."

Dog's answer was another flick of his wrist and a little more hair falling to the ground. Sam could see tears slipping down Jules's cheeks but he couldn't be sure if she was crying from the unwanted hair cut or the CS gas making her eyes water. Either way, it made Sam want even more than before to do something. His heart pounded with the need to do something other than wait.

"Sarge," Sam baredly breathed the name even though he knew his voice wouldn't carry past the headset. "When he cuts her hair, there's a brief second when I have the solution."

It galled him that more of Jules's beautiful hair had to be sacrificed in order for him to get a clear, unthreatened shot. But if it meant getting her out safely….

"_Hold, Sam. I don't think he'll actually hurt her; if he does, he loses his bargaining chip."_

Wouldn't actually hurt her? Was the CS gas still swirling in the air blinding him to the bruises and other injuries that were already visible? Didn't the boss think having her hair sawed off with a makeshift knife hurt her, if not physically then mentally? Sam understood what Sarge really meant but it still bothered him.

"Maybe you don't care about me giving her a make over. Maybe I need to go to more extreme measures to show you I mean business." Dog threatened.

"_If he makes a move to actually cut her, take the shot no matter the risk." _Sarge ordered.

This time, the shiv didn't move. Instead, the hand around her waist moved lower, playing with the waistband of her pants. His threat and intention was crystal clear. Sam's eyes narrowed. "He's taunting us. I think he knows he's not getting out of here and he's trying to make us take the shot." _And believe me, I want to take the shot._

Sarge didn't take his eyes off Dog and Jules. He knew this was hardest on Sam and admired the way the younger man had handled himself with the situation. He'd been dead on with the theory about the outside help the inmates had been counting on. However, this newest theory didn't make sense. "_Why? He doesn't have to. Even if he knows the escape is impossible, this doesn't have to be an end game for him. He can give up peacefully."_

"And live out the rest of his life in the prison he's now trying so hard to escape from. Ed, you remember what Browning told us earlier? He said Dogland wants out, that he's made no secret that he doesn't want to be in there and he's not going to let anything or anyone stop him from getting what he wants. Think about it. What if he'd rather die than spend another day in prison.? He'll kill Jules if he has to in order to make us kill him."

"_I think Sam's right, Sarge._" Ed backed Sam's theory. "_His actions now are more goading than threatening. I don't think it matters to him whether he escapes in that van or a body bag so long as he doesn't go back into the prison walls."_

Sarge considered both men's words. Finally he conceded. "_Okay, you both have Scorpio if you can make the shot without endangering Jules." _Out loud, he tried a different tactic to try to help Jules. "You don't have to hurt her. We know you are serious about wanting out of here. Why don't you release her and then we can discuss things."

"Ain't nothing to discuss. I've told you what I want. Why don't you just tell all these bug-faced clowns to back away so I can get to the van. Once I'm out of here and safe, then I'll release her. If she still wants to leave that is."

Dog's hand hadn't completely disappeared inside her pants but it was dipping closer. Suddenly Jules went completely slack in his arms. Her sudden dead weight made Dog have to move both his hands in order to re-establish his hold on her. In that splint second, Sam didn't hesitate. His finger tightened on the trigger, a shot rang out, and both Jules and her captor fell in a heap to the ground.

Neither moved.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Notes: The end of this chapter has been torturing me for weeks now, begging to be written. I only hope it comes across on paper anywhere close as to how I've seen it in my head. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. They really make my day.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

Break Out

Chapter 10

Jules wasn't moving. Sam wasn't sure his heart was still beating. He knew he hadn't missed the shot. He was pretty sure the makeshift weapon had been far enough away from her neck that Dogland hadn't been able to use it on her in his dying moments. Had she hit her head on the ground when Dogland had collapsed on to her? Was something else wrong? He'd hoped when she went slack in her captor's arms, it had been a fake faint in order to loosen Dogland's grip on her, but what if it hadn't been so fake? What if she'd been hurt worse than he'd realized from looking at her and it had caused her to lose consciousness?

Protocol dictated that after taking a kill shot, the subject officers - in this case he and Sarge- couldn't speak to anyone else on the team. Jules called it "the cone of silence." Looking down through the scope, he could see Spike rushing over to check on Jules, but he couldn't ask him for an update. He could only sit there and hope that in Spike's own worry he didn't forget to give a status update over the radio so the rest of the team would know if she was okay.

He didn't know how long he had before officers arrived on the roof to take him to SIU for the post shooting interview. Until they arrived, however, he planned on keeping his eye on the scope with it trained right on Jules's prone body. Once Spike rolled Dogland's body off her leaving the dead body for Adam to cuff, Sam could get a better look at Jules. She wasn't unconscious. She twisted her body around so that she was mostly on her back. Her eyes were opened but the tears had increased and her face was a grayish pale.

"_Jules, don't move. We've got an EMS team on the way. Hang on, I'm gonna remove the gag and the cuffs."_

"Constable Braddock, we need you to come with us. You know the procedure."

Never let it be said that SIU wasn't Johnny-on-the-spot about doing their job. Sam took one last look at Jules through the scope before lowering the weapon. He relinquished the rifle to the uniformed officer and silently followed the SIU officer off the roof. He knew it was useless to protest going with them and knew it was just as useless pleading for just a few minutes to check on Jules personally. It wasn't that SIU was made up of heartless bastards who didn't care that the love of his life had been through a horribly traumatic experience. They were just doing their job, just as Sam had done when he pulled the trigger. He couldn't ask for special privileges just because he was dating Jules. He and Jules had worked too hard keeping their personal relationship separate from their professional one to call foul the first time the two came into conflict. As much as he wanted to check on Jules, pull her into his arms and hold her until all the fear and worry of the day was washed away, he would follow protocol. After all, the sooner he got the interview out of the way, the sooner he could be at Jules's side where no one would be able to separate them.

"Let's get this over with."

- FP - FP - FP -

There was no way in hell Jules was going to just stand there and let anyone else manhandle her today. Well, so she wasn't exactly standing since her feet were bound and Dog was holding her so that the feet barely dragged the ground. She still wasn't going to do nothing and allow Dog to hurt or humiliate her in front of her team or Team Four.

Silently she screamed at Ed and Sam to take the damn shot already. Didn't they realize Dog wasn't going to give up just because it seemed like his plan had failed? There would be no negotiating him down. There was only one way to end this and she was past ready for it to be ended. The rational part of her knew that the weapon at her neck was probably what was stopping them. She'd spent her fair share of time in a Sierra position to know how difficult the shot was when a hostage was being threatened with a weapon.

Perhaps she could help make things easier for them. She let her body go limp, pretending to pass out. She knew the sudden shift in her weight would throw Dog off. She just hoped she could stifle the wracking coughs that had started from the moment the CS gas filled the area. Sure enough, the minute she went dead in his arms, she felt the shiv leave its threatening position. A split second later, she felt the jerk of his body that said a bullet had met its mark. They both went down.

Jules was pinned beneath Dog's dead body. Somehow she managed to keep the majority of both his and her own weight off the leg where the shrapnel was embedded. It didn't fully prevent the pain from shooting in all directions but it did keep the pieces of metal sticking her thigh from completely burying themselves into her skin.

The gauze gag swallowed her whimpers of pain. She wanted to be strong, pretend that her body wasn't wracked with horrific waves of intense agony. It was over; Dog was dead, the others had been apprehended, and the imprisoned guards freed. No, she argued with herself. The danger had passed but things were far from over. The pain she was feeling was proof of that.

Dog's weight was suddenly lifted off her. As soon as she could move, she rolled over, desperate to alleviate all the pressure on her thigh. Almost immediately, familiar hands, but not the hands she longed for, were touching her shoulder. Her ears were still ringing from the flash grenade so she couldn't quite make out everything Spike said to her.

"…Jules…team…cuffs…"

Something cold and metal slipped between her cheek and the gauze holding the gag in place. Though she trusted Spike completely, she couldn't help but flinch at the cold touch of metal against her cheek. Logically she knew he was cutting the gauze that was holding the gag in place. She desperately wanted to get rid of the gag and the cuffs binding her but she couldn't shake the memory of Dog's shiv threatening her. She whimpered slightly, glad that the gag muffled the sound.

What was wrong with her? She couldn't remember any other time she'd ever whimpered. She wasn't the whimpering type. She certainly didn't want Spike or anyone else on the team to see her being weak. Yeah, what she'd experienced at the hands of the inmates had been horrifying and painful, but she was stronger than anything she'd endured.

The gauze was cut away and almost immediately Jules used her tongue to help push out the roll of gauze that Bear had shoved into her mouth. Her coughing increased with its release, partly from the CS gas and partly from the dryness the gag had left in her mouth. Spike squeezed her arm slightly as he waited for the coughing to subside. He said something to her but she didn't even try to decipher what he was saying.

Where was Sam? Why wasn't he the one kneeling beside her, cutting away the ties that held her fast? Even if he'd been on the roof in Sierra position, she knew it wouldn't have taken him any time once the danger had been neutralized for him to race down to check on her. Wild horses wouldn't keep him away. Unless…

"S'ike?" Her mouth was too dry for her to properly form even his name between coughs. "Sam?" This time her coughs ended in a groan as the movement hurt her bruised ribs.

"Take…easy. Where…medics?" Ed's concerned face hovered over her.

Jules's stomach dropped. If Ed was here, then that meant that the shot that killed Dog and ended her nightmare had come from Sam. It made sense; only SIU taking Sam in for questioning following a post incident shooting would explain why he wasn't with her. What kind of grief would SIU give him for making that shot? Would they realize that if he hadn't killed Dog, the inmate would have killed her? After he completely humiliated her in front of her whole team and Team Four, that is. Or would SIU hold their relationship against him? Would they accuse him of being blinded by his feelings for her when it came to ending the situation?

Two more passes of Spike's knife and her hands and feet were once more free. She tried to sit up; she had to make sure SIU knew that Sam didn't have a choice; the only way of stopping Dog was through death. Immediately two pairs of hands gently eased her back down.

"Jeez, Jules, your leg." The ringing in her ears had subsided enough that she could make out Ed's dismay. Was that pity in his voice? She didn't want his or anyone else's pity. She couldn't take it, especially not after everything else that had happened.

A couple of medics knelt beside her. Jules didn't recognize either of them and that made her strangely glad. Despite the fact that she'd spent so much time surrounded by men intent on hurting her, she didn't mind that these strange men would be the ones taking care of her. That is until once again the cold of metal pressed close to her skin, this time at her ankle as the medic used his scissors to start cutting her pants leg to expose the wound on her leg. Each cut caused a slight movement to the shrapnel in her leg, sending wave upon wave of intense pain coursing through her. After everything else that had happened, it was just one thing too much.

"No, stop." Her voice sounded stronger than it felt but she hated the quake of fear she could hear in it. "Don't touch me."

"Yeah, okay." Ed assured her, his voice soft and calm. Jules hated the placating tone she could hear in just those two words. She hated the pity she heard in his voice and saw in his eyes. She was pretty sure she wasn't just seeing and hearing things due to any lingering effects of the flash grenade.

"Stop." Jules repeated. She meant stop feeling sorry for her but couldn't finish the thought.

The medic who'd been trying to cut her pants legs held up his hands to show that he had stopped what he was doing at her first protest. "We won't do anything you don't want us to. We do need to get you moved to the stretcher though."

"I can do it myself." Hadn't she managed to sit up not once but twice while her hands and feet were bound? Doing the same now should be a piece of cake now that the cuffs had been removed.

The medic started to protest but Ed stopped him. Jules was grateful for his intervention even if she did hate the sympathetic look on his face as he did so. She found, though, as she tried to use her hands to leverage herself up that they were almost as useless as they'd been when the cuffs were biting into her skin. Her hands had gone almost completely numb from being confined. She ignored everything, including the almost desperate need to help her she could see in Spike's expression, and finally maneuvered herself onto the stretcher.

The move from the ground to the stretcher left her breathless and once again coughing violently. The medic knelt beside the stretcher again, a worried expression on his face. "Constable Callaghan, I'd like to put this oxygen mask on your face. I think the O2 will help you breathe a little easier. Can I?"

She nodded ever so slightly, not having the energy to do much more including argue any more. The mask was slipped over her mouth and nose and the strap gently fit over her head near her ears. She forced herself to breathe normally even though her lungs were begging for the pure oxygen. She closed her watery eyes as the medic fastened the seatbelts to the stretcher and then pulled a blanket over her.

A familiar hand patted her shoulder awkwardly. "Jules, do what they tell you. We'll meet you at the hospital."

Again, Jules only gave a brief nod of acknowledgement at Ed's promise. As the stretcher started to move, she allowed the movement to lull her to sleep. Maybe, if she slept hard enough and long enough, when she woke up, Sam would be there.

- FP - FP - FP -

They'd taken his uniform and allowed him to change into a new set of clothes. An SIU officer who looked like he wouldn't last a minute in any of the physical fitness requirements of SRU had advised him of his rights. Now he was just sitting at a table opposite the officer waiting on the union attorney to arrive so he could be questioned.

He wanted to stand up, pace, yell, hit something, anything to release the pent up frustration at being sequestered like this when he really wanted to check on Jules. He'd already told the officer he was willing to waive the right to having counsel present, anything to speed things up, but his request had gone unheeded. So he continued to sit there, staring at his cell phone, wondering if Ed would break the "cone of silence" if something was seriously wrong with Jules.

The door opened and Sam looked up, hoping it was the union lawyer. It wasn't. Jill Hastings, the SIU officer who had interviewed the entire team after the spree shooting at the museum awhile back - the one who had tried to railroad Sarge because of her mistaken belief he'd been the one responsible for the death of her former partner, stepped inside. She motioned the other SIU officer over and spoke softly. Sam used the momentary break to send a quick text to Ed's phone asking how Jules was. He was pretty sure Ed wouldn't answer without knowing if the interview was over but at least the team leader would know Sam was worried, and would in turn, hopefully, pass on the word to Jules.

The door opened and closed again. Sam glanced that way and saw that he was now alone in the room with Jill. She smiled at him as she joined him at the table. She glanced at the file as she sat down.

"Roberts tells me you're willing to waive counsel."

Sam nodded. "I didn't do anything wrong. I don't need a lawyer present; I just want to get this done."

"Okay, we can do that. Sign here saying you waived your rights." Jill handed over a sheet of paper and Sam quickly signed on the line. Jill took the paper back. "I hope you don't mind, but I'll be conducting your interview instead of Roberts. I was assigned to interview Sgt. Parker but somehow I didn't think that was appropriate given what happened last time. I don't harbor any ill will towards him, not now that I know what really happened to Brian, but it still seemed like a conflict of interest."

There was something about the way she said that last part that set off warning bells in Sam's head. That's what they were thinking for him, that his relationship with Jules created a conflict of interest. His jaw rocked slightly but he tried to hide his growing anger. Instead he decided it was probably better to jump straight to the elephant in the room. "You think me taking that shot today was a conflict of interest."

There was no doubt that he was making a statement not asking a question. Jill eyed him carefully. "You don't? The woman you are in a relationship with is being held by inmates threatening to escape their prison. You make the shot that takes out the leader and the man threatening not only to kill her with a makeshift knife but is also making sexual advances toward her. You don't see that as a conflict of interest?"

Sam shook his head. "I see it as doing my job."

"A job perhaps someone else could have and should have done." Her tone was not accusatory; they could have just as easily been discussing the weather. He remembered her casualness from the last interview she'd conducted. It was a bit disarming and probably why she was so good at her job.

"Who? We have three snipers on the team. Jules was being held hostage; Ed didn't have a good vantage point to make the shot without risking Jules's life. I'm the only one who could have made the shot."

"Team Four was there. They have snipers, yet they were all on the ground level helping with the take down there."

"Team Four was there providing support. Team One was still in charge of the call. Yeah, they have snipers and they're damn good but they don't have the experience working with Sarge the way Ed, Jules and I have. Calls like this one need split second reactions and that's not a time to have to rely on someone for the first time."

"A teammate was in trouble, perhaps it was a conflict of interest that Team One was in charge of the situation at all."

"Don't even give me that crap. It's not the first time we've remained primary on a call that affected one of our own. We're good at what we do and that's one of the reasons why we're one of the best. We don't let our emotions overrule our reason. Even back when Dr. Toth was brought in to determine whether Team One should be left intact, he allowed us to handle the call when Ed was shot. You aren't questioning the team's involvement in this call today; you're questioning mine."

Jill glanced at the transcript of the call as if reading it for the first time. Sam knew it was a ploy all the SIU officers used, knew they always fully read the transcript before coming in and used looking at it to make the subject officer nervous they were trying to catch something in particular. It wouldn't work on him. He knew he'd done everything by the book and taken the only action possible to prevent further tragedy. Then Jill looked back at him. "According to this, you were the one who insisted that Dogland shouldn't be taken alive."

Sam shook his head. "I was the one who pointed out that Dogland didn't want to be taken alive. He wanted out of that prison and he'd take his escape however he could get it, either by being allowed to leave through the front gate alive or through death. That's part of my job; looking at the big picture. Twenty-five to thirty inmates attempted to escape and we managed to thwart that attempt with only taking one life…"

"Two lives." Jill corrected. "The body of one of the inmates was discovered in the laundry room. Do you know what happened to him?"

"He was killed by one of the other inmates." Sam replied evenly. His blood still boiled as he remembered the way the man had touched Jules; his intentions had been clear that what Sam witnessed was only the start of what he had planned. Sam wouldn't feel a moment's regret about his death.

"If you witnessed what was happening, why didn't you report it? Or better yet, why didn't you intervene? Perhaps his death could have been prevented."

Sam shook his head. "At the time, I was alone outside the laundry room. If I'd gone in and tried to prevent his death, I would have risked the lives of the hostages." If he'd been unable to rush in and stop the bastard from hurting Jules, he sure as hell wouldn't have rushed in to protect the man from the one who was stopping him.

"Why did they kill him?" Jill asked softly. She was watching him carefully as if trying to gauge his reaction.

Sam looked back at her, his blue eyes betraying nothing. "Is this interview about what happened in the laundry room or my taking the kill shot?"

"If one led to the other then both. Did you see something that happened in that laundry room that made you more apt to want to kill Dogland?"

Sam sat back in his chair; even though every muscle in his body was tensed up, it didn't show in his posture. Eventually everything that had happened in that laundry room would come out, but there was no way in hell that he'd be the one to reveal what had happened to Jules before she was ready to talk about it. "During the time I was watching, I didn't see Dogland do anything. One of the other inmates killed the man you are talking about. Yeah, he was killed because of his actions towards Jules but it had nothing to do with my actions on the roof."

"You didn't step in when the guy who was hurting Jules was killed and then you took the life of another man who was in the process of hurting her. One could see a pattern developing."

Sam narrowed his eyes. "What are you saying?"

"'Some people are helpless and need protecting.'" Jill's eyes were unwavering.

Sam recognized her words. Words he'd said to her during the last interview she did with him and he'd told the story of how his sister had been killed. He bristled at having his words thrown back at him, especially in this way where it wasn't even the same. He shook his head. "Yeah, some people are helpless and need protecting, but not Jules. You've interviewed her before; do you think helpless and in need of protection are appropriate descriptions of her? She might have been bound hand and foot; she might have been their captive; she might have had a homemade knife held at her throat but she wasn't helpless. She didn't need protecting, not in that sense. She's one of those that does the protecting. Even when she's in trouble, Jules is far from helpless. How do you think I managed to make that shot? Jules managed to put herself in a situation where she wasn't in direct threat from the knife. Because of that, I was able to take the shot and end the situation without her or any of the other hostages getting hurt any worse than they'd already been hurt." He took several deep calming breaths and then looked back at Jill. "Can I ask you a question?"

Jill nodded but didn't say anything.

"If it was anyone else sitting here, if anyone else either on Team One or Team Four had taken that shot or if he'd been holding one of the guards instead of Jules, would this interview be anything more than just a formality?"

"No, probably not." Jill admitted softly.

"Then it shouldn't be for me either. I did my job and my actions today would have been the same regardless of who was in danger. When we're on shift, Jules and I put the job before our feelings. We've already proven that we can be teammates and lovers; it's the reason why we were allowed to remain on the same team. It's not fair that the only time talk about our relationship comes out is because speculation makes good fodder in some stupid report. Now you just admitted that anyone else would have already been cleared and released, so are you really going to continue to sit there and make a big deal out of this or are you going to treat me the same way you would treat anyone else? So instead of going on and on about conflict of interests, how about getting my side of what happened and basing your report on the facts instead of supposition."

After just the briefest hesitation, Jill nodded. "Okay. How about you do just that."

- FP - FP - FP -

It was still another forty-five minutes before Sam was allowed to leave the interview room. Forty-five minutes of telling and then retelling everything that had happened that led to him taking the Scorpio shot. But at least it had been forty-five minutes of not being questioned about his relationship with Jules. Jill hadn't given him a definite idea of what her ruling would be, but Sam was fairly certain that he would - as he should be - cleared of any wrong doing.

He really didn't care at that point what the decision would be; there would be time for worrying about the outcome later. Right now, all he cared about was getting to the hospital and checking on Jules. Nothing was going to stop him.

As soon as he stepped out into the hallway, Greg stood up. He was still in the standard change of clothes he'd been given after having to give up his uniform, just as Sam was. He looked as tired as Sam felt but offered a wan smile as Sam walked over to him.

"You okay?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. Have you heard anything about Jules?"

Greg nodded. "I called Eddie as soon as I was cleared to leave. She's still in the ER and Eddie thinks they'll probably want to keep her overnight. Before you ask, I don't know how bad her injuries are. Ed didn't say much, probably because he was right there in the room with her. You know how Jules hates for us to fuss over her. Let's head upstairs, change, and then get to the hospital."

The last thing Sam wanted was more delays. "I don't have to change; I'm fine like this. Let's just go. I feel like we've wasted enough time as it is. I just want to see Jules."

"I'm sure she wants to see you just as much." Greg assured him. "But I also think she'd appreciate a change of clothes. You know between the medics and the ER personnel, they didn't leave her much of her uniform. You also know how much Jules hates hospital gowns. I think we've both listened to her tirades about how whoever designed them should be forced to wear one 24/7 so many times we could quote her. Besides, you know as soon as you get there, you aren't going to want to leave again, not until she's able to leave as well. Wouldn't you be more comfortable in regular clothes?"

As much as he didn't want to wait, Sam had to recognize the wisdom in Greg's suggestion. The two men made their way to the elevator and rode up to the SRU floor. Sam grabbed Jules's bag from her locker and then quickly changed into the jeans and shirt he'd worn to work that morning. He sat down on the bench as he waited for Greg to finish.

"What aren't you telling me?" Sam asked as Greg buttoned his shirt.

The older man sighed and sat down on the bench next to Sam. "I don't know anything more than I've told you. But there was something in Ed's voice; he was trying to hide it, not from me I don't think but from Jules, but I could hear it. He's worried. I don't think it's because of her injuries. Sam, there's no easy way to tell you this, but Warden Jenkins was able to tell us about the inmates involved. One of the men, the one that was killed in the laundry room, was convicted of several rapes. I think we have to consider the possibility…"

"You think I haven't considered it?" Sam interrupted. He still wasn't ready to confess to the degradation he'd been forced to watch Jules suffer without acting. "I don't think she was raped. And it's not just because I can't stand to think of her being hurt that way. Her uniform shirt looked ripped yeah, but the rest of her clothes were intact. I'm trusting that as a sign that nothing they did went that far. I'm going to continue to trust that until I have a good reason to think otherwise."

Greg nodded, but it was obvious he wanted to say more. "Okay then, you ready?"

It took everything in Sam not to retort that he'd been ready before they'd ever come upstairs. Instead he nodded. Once in the parking lot, the question as to what vehicle to take came into play. Sarge was pretty sure that Sam didn't need to be behind the wheel of a vehicle. He suggested that he drive them in the Jeep. That way, Sam and Jules would have a way home from the hospital later. Sarge knew he could catch a ride back with the rest of the team.

The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever. Time when Sam had nothing to do but worry about Jules. The fact that Ed was worried only made his own worry worse. They were all bad about pushing their own emotions below the surface, but Ed was probably the most skilled at it. That Greg had been able to pick up on Ed's worry even without the other man saying anything about it, it must be bad.

As soon as Greg pulled into a space in the parking garage, Sam had his seat belt off and was out of the Jeep, Jules's bag slung over his shoulder. He quickly out-distanced Greg as he practically ran to the Emergency Room entrance. He was heading to the desk to inquire where Jules was when he heard a familiar voice call his name. He looked in the direction of the waiting room and found Ed, Spike and Raf there. He frowned. He wasn't surprised that all three of them hadn't been allowed back with Jules at one time but why weren't any of them with her? How could they leave her alone after all she'd been through?

Almost on wooden legs Sam joined them. He bit back his accusatory questions and settled for the one he really needed an answer for. "Jules?"

"They took her for x-rays. The nurse was supposed to let us know when Jules was back in the cubicle." Spike explained. There was something in his tone though.

Sam frowned. "But?"

"They took her down an hour ago. I don't think it takes that long to shoot some pictures." Spike grumblingly explained.

Ed continued. "I think Jules asked the nurse not to call us back in. I got the feeling that our hovering was getting on her nerves. You know Jules, she's not going to admit that we were bothering her but her body language was saying it loud and clear. I think I even caught a look of relief cross her face when the orderlies came to get her."

Raf went to the coffee machine and inserted a couple of quarters. Once a cup had dropped and filled with hot black coffee, he picked it up and offered it to Sam. "Here, you look like you could use this."

What he could use was seeing Jules, but he accepted the coffee nonetheless. He took a sip and then grimaced. Definitely nowhere near a Tim Horton's excellence. He glanced back toward the nurse's desk. Ed noticed. "Go ask if you can see her. I'm betting she'd welcome having you back there. Before we got kicked out, she kept asking about you. As much as I think we might have been annoying her, I think she was more annoyed with SIU keeping you from being here and worried they were going to bust your chops because of your relationship with her."

Sam nodded and turned back to the desk. A nurse looked up at him and smiled. He asked about seeing Jules. The nurse's smile turned to a frown. "I'm sorry…"

Sam shook his head. "Just tell her Sam's here. If she doesn't want to see me, fine but I want her to know I'm here." Like hell it would be fine, but he at least would try to understand.

The nurse's features softened. "It's okay. She's already given the okay for you to go back. She's in cubicle 14E."

Sam thanked her and, after dropping the mostly full cup of coffee in the garbage, made his way back into the cubicle area. He watched the numbers outside each curtained area until he found the one the nurse had indicated was Jules's. He pulled the curtain back and stepped just inside. He stopped short of approaching the bed, getting a really good look at Jules.

She was lying in the bed with her eyes closed. A nasal cannula was feeding her oxygen through her nose and that would have worried him if he hadn't known that it was pretty standard after being hit with the CS gas. Her cheek was bruised and puffy. Her lower lip was split open and was also swollen. She looked like she'd gone twelve rounds with a heavy weight boxer. It hurt him to see her look so battered and that was just her face. He didn't know if he could handle seeing the rest of her injuries.

She opened her eyes at the sound of the curtain opening. When she saw him standing there, her eyes filled with tears and she raised the bed so that she was sitting up. He dropped her bad to the floor and took a single step closer. Whatever was holding him back seemed to leave him with that first step. He was at her side in an instant and then questioned what he should do. He wanted to crush her to him and never let her go but he didn't want to hurt her either.

He eased down on the bed beside her and reached out and pushed a strand of hair from her face. Before he could say anything, her hands reached up to cup the back of his head. She drew him toward her and her lips met his. A part of him knew he should protest; he knew the kiss had to be hurting her busted lip but protest was impossible even if he had seriously wanted to.

Long before that night outside the Royal York, he'd thought a lot about kissing Jules. He'd wondered what it would be like. Were her lips as soft, supple and as kissable as they appeared? Would she be demure and hesitant, willing to let him take the lead or would she kiss the way she did everything else, with everything in her and a sense of confidence that couldn't be ignored? He'd given so much thought to what it would be like that he'd been almost hesitant to actually kiss her for real. He'd been nervous that there was no way reality could even come close to his fantasies.

Turned out that he needn't have worried at all. His fantasies had paled in comparison to the perfection that that kiss had been. Like a drug, that first kiss had ignited in him an addiction that couldn't be satisfied. He'd had some sexual encounters with other women that were less satisfying than just kissing Jules could be. That first kiss had left him craving more and more, to the point he couldn't get enough.

He hadn't even realized the full extent of his addiction to her and her lips until the break up and his supply had been abruptly cut off. His withdrawal had been just as brutal as he imagined it would have been if his addiction had been an actual drug. It was so bad that he'd found himself fighting the urge some days at work from just pushing her gently against a wall or the side of one of the Suburbans and just kiss her senseless. Only his pride and the knowledge that Jules would knock him senseless if he did had kept him from giving in to the urge.

This kiss, however, was different from any kiss he'd ever experienced with Jules. There was a desperation in the way her lips pressed against his. Her tongue swept inside his mouth hungrily as if she were trying to draw breath out of him in order for her to be able to breathe properly. Her hands gripped the back of his head as if she were afraid if she didn't hold him tight enough he would just disappear.

He responded in kind. His arms wrapped around her and drew her firmly but gently closer to him as if to reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere. He met every stroke of her tongue with one of his own. Long after his body screamed in protest with the need to breathe, he continued to kiss her with the same hunger he'd sensed in her. Slowly, he felt the desperation seem to lessen ever so slightly at a time until he finally felt her body relax in his arms.

Only once the ferocity seemed to wear off and she practically melted against him as if her body was the consistency of a wet noodle, did he ease her back against the bed. Breathing hard, he pressed a feather-light kiss against the worst of her swollen, split lip. His hands framed her face as he pulled back just enough to be able to look into her eyes, pools of deep melted chocolate. He wasn't sure what it was that she was needing with the kiss but he hoped she'd gotten everything she needed and more.

"Better?" He asked gently.

She nodded, not able to voice in words exactly what had driven her just then. Sam smiled slightly and once more pulled her close to him. "Good."

Then his lips caressed hers once more. This time the kiss was less desperate but just as breathtaking. For the moment, it would be enough.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Notes: As Jules said in the last chapter, the danger has passed but things are far from over. She might be safe but she still has a lot to deal with. More JAM to come now that Jules and Sam have been reunited as well as moments with the rest of the team. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. I hope this chapter isn't too dry but I have to deal with physical injuries before we can really get to the emotional. Thanks to another snow day that didn't give me any snow, I was able to get this chapter ready early.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

Break Out

Chapter 11

"Sam?" Jules managed to speak his name finally after several more kisses. Her voice was husky and dry. She'd been allowed to swish water in her mouth just a little by one of the ER nurses when she first arrived, but hadn't been allowed to actually drink any yet.

Sam pulled away but couldn't fully release her. Instead, one hand cupped the side of her head so his thumb could caress her unbruised cheek. His other hand trailed down to gently graze his fingertips up and down her bare arm. His blue eyes were full of concern. "Are you okay?"

She shrugged and frowned. It was a loaded question and while she didn't want to lie, she wasn't quite ready to really tell the full truth either. So she settled for the ambiguous nonverbal answer. "What about you? Did SIU give you a hard time?"

He leaned forward to just briefly brush against her battered lips once more. "Don't overwork your voice right now; it sounds pretty ragged. SIU interviews are never the highlight of anyone's day but it's over now and I'm confident I'll be cleared of the shooting. They don't really have anything to hold against me."

Jules opened her mouth to ask him if they'd given him a hard time. The thumb that had been caressing her cheek moved over to her lips, evidently trying to silence her before she spoke. Sam sighed.

"Yeah, the fact that we are together came up and they wanted to make a big deal about it. I think no matter how many times we prove we can do our job in spite of our feelings for each other, it'll always come up. But I think it would no matter what. It's like you said after Toth raked us over the coals about our first relationship with each other. It's not going to go away. From the moment we crossed the line and acted on our feelings, everything we do is going to be suspect whether we're together or not. Trust me, if I'm going to be accused of letting my feelings get in the way, I'd much rather it be because we're together and allowed to express our love for each other than trying to deny that every beat of my heart belongs to you."

A single tear ran down Jules's cheek and her lower lip quivered slightly. Sam brushed the tear away. The hand that had been running up and down her arm traveled lower to rest on her upper thigh. Immediately, her face paled and she inhaled sharply. A muttered curse came out on the exhale along with a sharp groan. Sam removed his hand, horrified that he'd hurt her. He pulled the blanket aside and grimaced at the sight of the numerous pieces of metal embedded in her leg. The shrapnel appeared to range in size from the smallest sewing needle to about a 7mm screw. Blood, some dried and some fresh, stained the area around her pants leg. Now he swore.

"Damn it, Jules, what the hell is the doctor waiting for? Your leg looks like a freaking pin cushion." He stood up, his muscles taut with rage. It was clear he was about to hunt down the ER doctor to demand an explanation personally. Jules reached out and took his hand in hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Relax, Sam. He's waiting on the x-rays."

Sam sat back down on the bed, a little more gingerly this time. Spike had mentioned x-rays but Sam had thought they were checking for broken bones or something. What did x-rays have to do with the shrapnel? "X-rays?"

She nodded. "He didn't want to take a chance pulling them out blindly without knowing if they had barbs on the end that would do more damage coming out than going in. I couldn't really argue with him."

Sam couldn't argue with the wisdom in that. Still, he hated the idea that Jules was being left to hurt needlessly. "Yeah, but Spike said they took you for x-rays over an hour ago. How long does it take to read a damn picture?"

Despite everything she'd gone through and the pain radiating through her with a force that threatened to send her into full sobs, Jules couldn't help but smile shakily. There was something reassuring and comforting about Sam in full out protective mode - not that she'd admit it out loud. "Sam, I might be the most important person in your world right now but I'm not the only patient in this hospital. I heard a nurse mention something about a multi-car pile-up that's got them pretty busy. Think of it this way, at least my injuries aren't considered serious enough to make me a priority. That's a good thing. Really. Yeah, it hurts but the pain's only really bad when I forget and try to move that leg."

"Or some idiot jars or puts pressure on it." Sam muttered, feeling guilty for his part in hurting her.

Jules shifted slightly, being careful not to move her leg. Then she reached up and placed the palm of her hand against his cheek. "You aren't an idiot. You didn't know."

He hated to keep making her talk; her voice sounded like she'd swallowed sandpaper, but there was so much he needed to know. "What other injuries do I not know about?"

Unconsciously he held his breath, waiting for her to answer. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, threatening to drown out anything she might have to say.

"Mostly bruises, I think. The doctor also took x-rays of my head and ribs so I'm not sure what that showed. Honestly Sam, I sort of tuned him out. It's not like I need a doctor to tell me that I hurt practically all over." She leaned back against the bed and closed her eyes for a moment. She could feel Sam watching her and opened her eyes again with a sigh. "Seriously, Sam, it's nothing that won't heal. Quit worrying."

Sam leaned down and kissed her forehead. Now that he looked at her more closely, he could see fingerprint bruises on her jaw and around her neck. He wanted to gather her in his arms, hold her close, and then kiss away each and every bruise that marred her beautiful body. He wanted to, but still he refrained because he was more worried that he would hurt her worse if he did. "Like there's a chance in hell of that happening. Yeah, you'll heal and you're tough enough to handle the pain, but I'm not sure I can. It bothers me to see you hurting, bothers me to hear that rasp in your voice and not being able to do anything about it. Damn it, Jules, it looks and sounds like someone tried to strangle you."

"They did." Jules admitted softly, "well, sort of. However my voice sounds bad because my throat's dry. Try sucking on a roll of gauze for awhile and see if your mouth doesn't taste and feel like cotton." It was evident she was trying to make light of what had happened, but it wasn't easing his concern any.

"Want me to get you some water?" Sam would get her anything she wanted.

Jules shook her head. "As much as I would love about a gallon of water, I can't have any right now. I guess they can't risk me eating or drinking anything until they know what all is going on. I don't know."

Again Sam felt his jaw rock. Wasn't a trip to the hospital supposed to make things better? They'd done nothing about the shards in her leg; they were denying her the ability to quench her thirst after she'd been gagged; they hadn't told her the extent of her injuries. The only evidence he could see that they'd done anything for her besides putting her on oxygen was to bandage a couple of cuts. "This is ridiculous. You've been here for at least a couple of hours now; I don't care if the entire city has suddenly showed up with injuries, they don't have a right to just ignore you like this. I'm going to find out what the hell is going on."

Jules didn't try to protest as he started toward the curtain. She didn't have the energy on what would be a useless endeavor. To be honest, she was more than a little grateful that Sam was there to raise a fuss. She was hurting, even more than she'd wanted to let Sam know and she was tired of being in the ER. She was ready for something to be done so she could quit being in extreme pain. If Sam wanted to fight that battle for her, she'd allow him without saying a word.

Before Sam could reach the curtain, it opened and a doctor wearing scrubs and a lab coat stepped in. He smiled at Sam and held his hand out in greeting. "I'm Dr. Johnson, the ER doctor treating Constable Callaghan."

Sam shook the man's hand but his expression was far from friendly. "Sam Braddock. Wouldn't treating mean you're actually doing something for her? She's been here a couple of hours and other than a couple of Band-Aids, I'm not seeing where she's gotten any treatment. Are you planning on leaving those shards in her leg as a souvenir of what she's been through?"

Just as their job as SRU required them to sometimes deal with subjects at different volatile levels, Dr. Johnson apparently had similar experiences dealing with patients' families. And without having to be told, he'd obviously pegged Sam very much as family. "Of course not."

"So you're in here to take them out?"

Dr. Johnson shook his head. "No. After looking at the x-rays, I've decided it was better to call in a surgeon to remove the shards."

Sam took a couple of steps backward towards Jules's bed. His hand reached out and instinctively found Jules's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Surgeon?"

"Don't look so worried." The doctor was quick to reassure them. "I'm not suggesting that she needs surgery to have the shrapnel removed."

"Then why a surgeon?" The question itself was accusatory but it was delivered in an even tone; there was nothing to indicate that it was taking everything in him not to grab the doctor by his lab coat and show him exactly what he could do with his suggestion not to worry.

"Sam, calm down." Leave it to Jules to be able to recognize his emotions even if he'd thought he'd carefully hidden how he felt. "He mentioned earlier that it might be a possibility if there were barbs on the ends of the shrapnel."

Just as Jules could read him, he could just as easily read her. She hid it well, probably better than he'd hid his feelings, but he heard the slight quaver in her voice that showed she was worried about her injuries. He wished he could do something; just holding her hand seemed inadequate, but it was the best he had at the moment.

The doctor regarded Jules carefully as he started to attach a bag of clear liquid to her IV. "I didn't see any barbs on the shards. I'm calling in the surgeon more as a precaution than a necessity. Some of the shards are buried pretty deeply into your thigh muscle and a couple of them appeared to have bent. My first thought was that they bent because they hit bone but the x-rays don't show any signs of it. I can't figure out what else might have caused it."

Jules was pretty sure she could thank Dog kicking her in the thigh for bending the shards and embedding them so deeply but she wasn't ready to say that out loud. She tightened her hold on Sam's hand, sure he needed the extra comfort as much as she did. "Then why the surgeon?"

It was the same question Sam had asked but hers sounded more trepid than accusatory. The doctor smiled. "Removing those shards is going to take time, and it's going to be painful. A surgeon would have better drugs at his disposal than I would that would make it more tolerable."

Sam expected Jules to bristle and deny the need for any sort of heavy drugs. Usually she tried to tough out any hint of pain, no matter how major. He could remember too many times when he and a doctor had to insist on her taking painkillers after she'd been shot and again after the explosion at the lab because she hadn't wanted to admit to needing something. He couldn't say much; he and practically everyone else on the team had a similar if not as strong stubborn streak, but it didn't make it any easier to watch.

He was surprised then when Jules didn't protest at all. Instead her voice got smaller. "What else did you find?"

"You are one very lucky young woman, even if it doesn't feel like it right now. No cracked or broken ribs. Although bruised ribs can be just as painful as I'm sure you know. I did see a hint of a hairline fracture on your cheekbone. You must have been hit with something pretty hard."

"Just a Bear paw." Jules muttered with annoyance.

Confused as to what a bear had to do with a prison break, Sam and the doctor just exchanged a look. Sam shrugged slightly but didn't question her. The doctor continued. "It'll heal on its own but it's going to be painful as well. Other than that, just bruises. That bag I hung is a pretty strong antibiotic. I don't want to take any chances with those shards causing an infection. We'll definitely keep you overnight and then see how you're doing tomorrow before we decide how long we'll keep you."

"You keep mentioning how painful you know her injuries are; how about giving her something for it." Sam insisted.

Dr. Johnson shook his head. "I'm sorry; I can't take the chance of giving her something that would interact with what the surgeon might give her."

"Then can she at least have some water? Can't you hear how dry her throat is?"

"Not…"

"…until the surgeon sees her." Sam finished for him. It was obvious he wanted to say more but only some inner sense of propriety kept him from actually putting it to words. "Next time, instead of coming to the ER, maybe we should go straight to a surgical center.

The doctor didn't seem to take offense. "I know it's difficult, but I can assure you that I'm doing what's in her best interest by not doing anything. It shouldn't be much longer."

Before Sam could protest any more, Jules thanked the doctor and the ER physician left the cubicle. For a moment, it looked like Sam might follow the doctor out to demand something - anything- be done, but then he eased back down on the bed so that he was facing Jules. Her eyes were full of tears and she wouldn't quite meet his gaze. Sam cupped the side of her face, this time the bruised side as if he could hide the wound and thus make it disappear. "Jules?"

"Do you think I'm weak? Because I didn't tell him to just yank them out himself, damn the need for whatever drugs the surgeon has at his disposal?"

Leave it to Jules to worry about that. "I could never think you're weak: I know you're strong." He didn't mention being surprised by her willingness to take whatever the surgeon had to offer drug wise. He was pretty sure that would only add to her concern that he thought less of her.

"We had a dog growing up." Jules continued. The story seemed so random that Sam almost shushed her to protect what was left of her tortured voice. However, he knew Jules well enough to realize there was probably a relevant purpose to the story that she needed to get off her chest. "Rascal was always running around the property, probably too curious for his own good. No commenting on how he reminds you of me. Anyway, one summer he tried to make friends with this porcupine he discovered in the woods nearby. I don't know how many times he came home almost covered in quills after the porcupine made it clear he wasn't interested in being friends. The first couple of times, Mom rushed him to the vet and paid a pretty huge bill to have the quills professionally removed. After the third time it happened, Dad said he was through paying good money on a dog who refused to learn a lesson. So instead of taking him to the vet, Dad would treat Rascal himself. It would break my heart listening to Rascal yelp and whine in pain as one of my brothers held him so Dad could pull the quills. It sounded like they were torturing him."

And the idea of enduring that same kind of "torture" after everything else she'd been through was enough to make her willing to accept whatever drugs the doctors offered. She didn't have to say it for Sam to know that was what she was thinking. The desire to avoid that kind of pain didn't, however, prevent her from worrying about how doing so would make her seem to him or others. He knew that as well. He knew he had to say something to convince her it was okay. "Did I ever tell you about the time I got up close and personal with a cactus?"

Jules shook her head.

"When I was in college, my roommate Paul and I went hiking in Manitoba during the summer between our junior and senior year. One day I wasn't watching where I was going and I ended up falling into a prickly pear patch. Let's just say I ended up with cactus spines in places I don't want to talk about. It was nowhere near as bad as what you've got going on with your leg. Not by a long shot. Still, by the time Paul got them all removed, I was crying, screaming, and begging for my mom, drugs, the bottle of alcohol we'd smuggled in, anything that would take away the pain. I think Paul contemplating using a rock to knock me out before it was over. So don't feel bad about taking anything they offer you."

Jules frowned. "It'll probably be some sort of sedation."

Sam continued to watch her, knowing something was going on in her head and having a feeling it was probably more than worrying about appearing weak. "Yeah, maybe conscious sedation or maybe some sort of local that would numb the area. Maybe a combination of the two. Either way, you probably won't feel a thing."

"I should probably give my statement before the surgeon does whatever he's going to do. I'm sure Sarge and Ed are out there waiting to get it."

Now Sam understood. Of course her sense of duty was propelling her toward sharing her side of what happened in order to complete the transcript of the call, but he also sensed she was holding back, not wanting to put into words the full horror of what she went through at the hands of the inmates. "The whole team is out there but not because they are waiting to debrief. Giving your statement can wait until your injuries have been taken care of and your voice and throat have had a chance to rehydrate."

Jules started to chew on her bottom lip but then remembered how battered it already was. "If they sedate me, it might affect my memories."

Was it his imagination or was there a hint of something like hope and relief in her voice at the thought of not remembering everything? Though logically he knew she'd eventually have to face - and talk about - everything that had happened, he couldn't blame her for wanting to be able to forget it. Hell, he wanted to forget the things he'd seen. "It shouldn't affect that part of your memory. And if it does, then we'll deal with it."

There was a comfortable silence for several minutes, each lost in his and her own thoughts. Then Sam continued, "Jules, Ed seemed to think you were a little glad to get rid of them earlier, that you asked the nurse not to tell them when you got back from having the x-rays. The nurse was about to put me off until I gave her my name, so I think he was right at least about the second part. Were you avoiding having Ed back here because you thought he'd push you to talk?"

How could she explain the almost claustrophobic feeling that she'd begun to feel having Ed, Spike, and Raf in the small cubicle with her before the orderlies arrived to take her for x-rays? She couldn't explain it to herself let alone to Sam. She trusted the three men completely and she wasn't frightened or uncomfortable having them close by. She was certain of that but at the same time, she couldn't deny that she'd felt smothered by their presence. Somehow, they'd all, including Spike who was the smallest of the three, had felt like a larger presence than normal. She'd thought just getting out of the cubicle to go for x-rays would erase the feeling and she'd be fine when she was back in exam area.

When the nurse had followed the orderlies back in upon her return, Jules had been all set to ask her to tell her friends to come back. But as she'd opened her mouth to say the words, instead of granting permission, she'd found herself requesting privacy until Sam arrived. In the almost hour between making the request and Sam's appearance in the cubicle, she'd wavered between the guilt of shutting out her friends and the relief of not feeling the pressure of having them in the same room.

As the silence stretched out, Jules finally shrugged without answering. It wasn't fair; she knew she owed their friends better treatment, or at least an explanation, but she just didn't have the answers. Sam reached up and ran his fingers through her hair. His blood boiled all over again as he reached the now much shorter ends in the places where Dogland had sawed off sections of her hair with his shiv.

Jules frowned. "I bet it looks pretty bad. I don't think I want to see a mirror."

Jules wasn't one who obsessed over her looks. It was one of the things that had first drawn Sam to her; she was who she was and didn't worry about what others thought. He wondered if her concern now was over the hack job Dogland had given her or a bigger issue. Knowing her the way he did, he was certain it was the latter even if he wasn't sure that that bigger issue was. "I certainly wouldn't nominate him for Barber of the Year but it's nothing a good stylist can't fix. Think of it this way; you've been considering trying something new with your hair, so now's your chance. You'll have to go a little shorter than maybe you were thinking, but it'll look great. But here's the thing, even if you had to start using Ed's barber, you would still be the most beautiful woman I know. Nothing could change the way I feel about you."

Jules stared at him for a moment. He was talking about more than just her hair. He wasn't saying anything that her heart didn't already know, but it was something her head needed to hear at the moment. The tears that had welled up earlier now spilled over. She shifted on the bed so she could sit up and hug Sam. For the moment, none of the aches and pains mattered as much as holding and being held by Sam. His arms encircled her body and held her tight enough that her body didn't have much room for the shaking it was suddenly doing but not so tightly that he aggravated her injuries.

"Promise?" She whispered so softly that he wasn't sure he actually heard her. He answered her anyway.

"With all my heart."


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Notes: I have to thank Sewtunes for a suggestion about a way to help Jules's dry mouth. I used it here with her permission, and I think Sam and Jules enjoyed it as well. Thanks! I hope you enjoy the chapter. It's a shorter chapter than most but after this Sam and Jules should be able to concentrate more on the mental recovery and not just the physical.

In a review, a guest reviewer asked about my icon. Since I can't respond via PM, I'll answer here. My icon was a gift from a friend who has amazing skills.

Disclaimer: The show Flashpoint and its characters were created by Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern and belong to them and the networks who air the episodes. Since the show has ended, our only way of getting new Flashpoint is through fan fiction. This story is my attempt to help fill the void, and the only profit I make is the warm fuzzy feeling reviews give me. Anything that does not come directly from the show is my own creation and should not be used without my permission.

Break Out

Chapter 12

"Jules Callaghan?"

Sam turned slightly at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and gave the female in a white doctor's coat a hard look. As he'd held Jules in his arms, he'd felt her slow surrender into sleep. He'd continued to hold her knowing that sleep right then was probably her only defense against the pain no one seemed in a hurry to do anything about. He wasn't about to let anyone wake her up unless it was absolutely necessary.

The woman smiled apologetically and stepped closer into the cubicle. She lowered her voice considerably when she spoke next. "I'm Dr. Liz Flowers; Dr. Johnson asked me to consult on Ms. Callaghan's case. I've looked at her x-rays; she took quite a bit of shrapnel in her upper thigh. That's not a very common injury; can you tell me what happened?"

It was on the tip of Sam's tongue to ask if it really mattered but then he refrained. Sure, he was frustrated at the lack of attention he felt Jules was getting but he couldn't hold it against the surgeon who at least appeared interested in helping. "She was pretty close to a small homemade bomb that exploded. It would have been worse but her protective gear caught most of it."

The doctor nodded. "If you ask me, it looks bad enough as it is. Pretty painful as well. Although nice to know that Kevlar really does work; my husband is a police officer so it's nice to have the confirmation." She stepped closer to the bed and lifted the blanket enough that she could look at the injury. Jules didn't stir causing Sam to look down at her in concern. Usually she was such a light sleeper. The surgeon caught his worried expression. "The body has wonderful coping mechanisms. Sleep is one of them. It's the best way to deal with the pain it can't handle. I'm going to have to wake her up though. I need to ask her a few questions to determine the best course of treatment."

Sam kissed Jules's forehead tenderly. "Sweetheart?"

Jules stretched slightly and then groaned. She blinked several times, and Sam could tell she was trying to process where she was and what was happening. He didn't say anything, knowing she did that anytime she woke up somewhere other than her own bed. He waited until her eyes focused and she tried to lean back against the bed before completely releasing her. She gave a shaky smile. "Sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's okay. You know I never mind holding you while you sleep. The surgeon is here."

Jules glanced over to the doctor standing next to the bed. A yawn pre-empted anything she was initially going to say. That was followed by another groan as the movement jarred the injuries at her jaw. "Please tell me you're going to take care of the arsenal in my leg."

"Absolutely. I would have let you sleep but I need to ask you a few questions. We've got several options we can go with for pain management but I want to go with the best one for you. Can I presume your leg is the worst of your pain?"

Nod and shrug. It could be a toss-up but was probably mostly an accurate assessment. The doctor gave a knowing smile. She figured it must be a cop thing to not want to admit to being in pain. Her husband was the same way. The doctor continued. "I definitely want to do a local as far as pain management in removing the shards but I also recommend going with a bit of sedation as well. I don't think general anesthesia is necessary but probably more of a twilight like you might get for dental procedures. It'll make you a little drowsy but you will still be able to respond to commands. The best part about it is that you probably won't remember anything about the procedure when I'm done. Does that sound okay to you?"

Jules nodded. At that moment she probably wouldn't have protested against anything the doctor recommended. "Sounds good."

Sam frowned. "What I don't understand is why it's taken so long to get something done. Why couldn't the ER doc do all this?"

"The kind of sedation I'm talking about can't be ordered by just any doctor. I know it's frustrating feeling like nothing is being done, but I can assure you none of us want to see any patient suffer needlessly. Had Dr. Johnson ordered anything for pain before consulting me, we could have been delayed in doing anything now. So, I'm going to go put in the order for the sedation and the local so it's ready when we are. In a few minutes, a couple of orderlies will be in to move you upstairs so we can remove the shards."

"Can I go with her?" Sam asked. With everything that had happened, he wasn't quite ready to let her out of his sight even though he knew she was perfectly safe. He'd told Jill Hastings earlier that Jules was not someone who was helpless or in need of protection, but somehow, seeing her hurting and vulnerable had brought out his need to watch over her and defend her if necessary.

Dr. Flowers looked dubious. "Are you sure you want to? She's not going to remember anything about the experience but I can't give you the same type of drugs."

Sam bristled. It was on the tip of his tongue to argue that he wasn't squeamish about such things and had probably seen much worse during his tours overseas. He stopped just short of protesting; Jules had worried earlier that he might think she was weak agreeing to take something for the pain during the removal of the metal shards. He didn't want to add to her feeling that way. Besides, the doctor probably had a point. Rip his own fingernails out one by one and then soak his hands into salt water, fine. Ask him to watch someone he loves suffer the way Jules had and was continuing to suffer and he wasn't sure he could handle it. Still, easy or not, he wanted and needed to be there for her. "I'm sure."

Jules frowned. "Sam, you don't have to. I've been told before that I make a horrible patient especially when under the influence of stronger drugs. I'd hate to freak you out."

Sam brushed his fingers lightly against her cheek. "I can handle it. You couldn't freak me out no matter how horrible a patient you are. I want to be there for you, but only if it's what you want or need. If you'd rather I wait in a waiting room until Dr. Flowers is through, then that's fine as well."

"I want you there." Jules told him without hesitation. Sam sensed there was more on her mind though.

"But?"

Once again, she started to catch her lower lip between her teeth but then thought better of it. "I feel a little bad about the rest of the team just sitting out there wondering what's going on. Don't I owe them a little something better?"

Sam knew the team was worried. He'd have known it even if he hadn't seen it in the eyes of each of his teammates. They were more than just a team; they were family and family worried when a member was hurt. However, his concern at the moment had to be more for Jules than for the others. "Don't worry about them; they're fine. Once Dr. Flowers works her magic, there will be plenty of time for them to fuss over you."

Immediately he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Jules's nose wrinkled up and the corners of her mouth turned down. "They shouldn't have to fuss over me. If I thought it would do any good, I'd tell you to join them, let them know I really was okay, and convince them to go home and do whatever it is they would normally do. I know though they aren't going to be satisfied until they see me for themselves."

Dr. Flowers regarded them both. "It's going to be probably about five to ten minutes before the orderlies come to move you. I could have a nurse let your friends know they could come back for a moment or two before that happens if you'd like. That way you could fill them in on what's going on without having to leave the room. Once the orderlies come to take you up, they can move up to the waiting room on the 7th floor until the procedure is over and we move you to a regular room."

Everything in her told Jules to say no. She didn't want to hurt her friends by keeping them out when she knew they were worried about her and had been worried since the moment they'd realized she was in danger. However, she was worried that letting them come back to see her would just worry them more. She'd seen the looks Ed, Spike, and Raf had given her when they'd been in the cubicle with her earlier. She'd felt almost suffocated by their concern and presence but the question in their eyes was what bothered her the most. She knew, even if they didn't want to ask it out loud, the question that was on each of their minds. A question she wasn't sure she'd be ready to field even if she was heavily drugged. Her answer to the doctor's offer sounded foreign even to her own ears. "Sure, that would be great."

Dr. Flowers nodded and left the cubicle. Sam was watching her carefully but his gaze felt comforting and caressing rather than piercing. She reached up, trapping his hand between her own and her cheek. His thumb traced circles on her cheek. He sighed. "I wish I could do something to make you more comfortable."

Jules smiled softly, the expression not quite reaching her eyes. "I can think of a way you can help make me more comfortable."

Sam's features softened. "What is it? You know I'd do anything for you."

Jules wrinkled her nose slightly, wishing this could be just any evening they spent together instead of the circumstances they'd found themselves in. "I bet you wouldn't give me a stick of gum to chew on. I know you always keep a pack on you."

Sam chuckled softly. "Okay, so let me rephrase; you know I'd do anything for you that I could without causing worse trouble. I know you wouldn't want Dr. Flowers to decide she can't give you the sedation because you'd been chewing on a piece of gum."

"No, I wouldn't." Jules admitted. "That's why I'm not asking for gum. Kiss me."

Sam hesitated. "You sure? That lip of yours looks even more swollen because of those earlier kisses."

Jules nodded. "I'm sure. Besides the fact that your kisses make me feel better as a whole, kissing actually helps moisten my mouth some."

Now his chuckle was more an actual laugh. "So you are using me for my saliva, is that what you are telling me? I should be insulted."

"Get over it." Jules warned, her tone lighter than it'd been since he'd arrived. "Just shut up and kiss me."

"Yes, Ma'am." Sam lowered his head to once more capture her lips. Any reservations he had about kissing her were dwarfed by his own very real need to hold her and kiss her. After everything he'd seen, after all the worry he'd felt, there was nothing more reassuring than the feel of her lips on his, and her body almost melting against him. Knowing it was helping Jules as well just made it even better.

For a moment, nothing mattered or even existed but the two of them. Then the curtain scrapped against the rod as it was opened and the other four members of the team stepped into the cubicle. Almost reluctantly, Sam released Jules and turned to greet their friends. Greg, Ed, and Raf all approached the bed but Spike stayed back, barely stepping inside.

Greg put his hand on Jules's shoulder; he'd barely gotten a chance to even see her after Sam had taken the shot and she and Dogland had both gone down into a heap. The relief he felt at seeing her now was mixed with the pain he felt at seeing her look so battered. He forced a smile. "Thanks to you, Team One has a pretty unbeatable response time to a hot call. That being said, I could probably go the rest of my life happily without having a repeat of today."

"Me too." Jules agreed softly. She took Sam's hand in her own and gave it a slight squeeze. Sam noticed a slight tremor in her grasp but chalked it up to the pain she was feeling. "Sorry I scared you all."

Ed, at the foot of her bed, squeezed her foot. It was on her uninjured leg but Jules inhaled sharply anyway and her grasp tightened on Sam's hand. Sam was the only one to notice both reactions but he didn't say anything. With everything that had happened, who could blame Jules for being apprehensive about any movement that might cause more pain. Ed, unaware of Jules's reactions, shook his head. "I was starting to think maybe I was going to have to send in an Alpha team to find out what was happening to you in here."

Raf leaned in closer to the bed as if to whisper conspiratorially. "You should have heard some of the tac plans he was putting together. I think if they hadn't let Sam back here when he arrived, Ed would have started carrying them out." Then he straightened up. How are you doing, Jules? What's the doctor said?"

Trying to save Jules's voice from any further strain, Sam filled them in on Jules's injuries. When he finished, Jules added. "I know you need to get my statement…"

Greg held his hand up stopping her. "Don't worry about your statement. There's no hurry for that. There'll be plenty of time for that once you've had a chance to recover. That's all that's important right now: you getting better."

"Absolutely." Ed agreed. "Although, I bet you'll be up, running around, giving the doctor and Sam seven kinds of hell when they try to get you to take it easy in no time."

"No doubt in my mind either." Raf agreed. "Now if it was me, I'd play it up as much as I could. I'm telling you, Jules; I'm sure ole Sam here would jump through hoops to cater to your every whim if you'd let him."

The look Sam gave Jules was pure love. "I'd do that even if she wasn't injured." Then he glanced over at Spike, who hadn't come any closer into the room. "Everything okay, Spike?"

The bomb tech nodded but his expression was anything but fine. Sam was about to question him further but just then a couple of orderlies arrived to move Jules upstairs. Even though Sam wondered at Spike's aloof behavior, he didn't want to make Jules wait even a second longer to get treatment. He looked Sarge with a raised eyebrow and a slight turn of his head in Spike's direction. He hoped the older man would read his unspoken question and find out what was bothering Spike.

Greg gave no indication as to whether he picked up on Sam's subtle hint. Instead he leaned down and brushed a light kiss to Jules's forehead. "We'll see you once you're in a regular room."

Jules frowned. "You guys don't have to wait. I'm sure you have better things to do than sit around a waiting room all day."

"And if it was one of us lying in that bed where would you be?"

Jules didn't answer because they both knew the answer. Sam eased off the bed to allow the orderlies to do their job. He picked up Jules's bag, which he'd pretty much dropped and forgotten about as soon as he'd seen her, and held it out to Spike. "You mind holding on to this until Jules gets in a room? I doubt they'd want us taking a bunch of stuff in to the procedure room.

Spike nodded but still didn't say anything. Sam was pretty sure he knew his friend well enough to recognize when Spike was upset but he couldn't figure out about what. Again, he wished he had time to question him but there was none to spare. As it was, there was barely a chance to say anything more as the orderlies started to wheel the stretcher from the cubicle.

It was a short elevator ride up to the seventh floor and then down a long corridor to the room Dr. Flowers had arranged. When the orderlies moved Jules from her stretcher over to the exam table waiting there, a sharp shout of pain ripped from Jules's throat before she could control her reactions. Sam stiffened; it took everything in him not to do some shouting of his own. He knew the orderlies had tried to be as gentle as possible and it hadn't been their fault that any movement whatsoever hurt. Still, it wasn't easy watching Jules suffer and not be able to do anything to help.

Once she was lying on the flat table, Sam positioned himself near her head. He reached over and thumbed away some of the tears. Tears that seemed to be falling much more now than they had earlier. It broke his heart. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart; the doctor will be in here in just a few minutes and she's going to give you something for the pain. I promise."

His tone suggested that there would be hell to pay if she didn't. Jules nodded. "I know. It's okay; the pain's not that bad. I can handle it."

"Then why the tears?" Sam asked gently.

Jules sniffled. "I really don't want to talk about it right now. Okay?"

"Okay." Sam agreed. He was pretty sure he knew anyway. She'd picked up on Spike's behavior and was upset by it. But if she didn't want to discuss it, then he wouldn't force it. That wouldn't stop him from having a long conversation with Spike later though.

Dr. Flowers came in. She held a syringe so Jules could see it. "I call this my 'do whatever the hell you want to do to me 'cause I ain't gonna care about anything in about thirty seconds' miracle shot. I'm going to inject it into your IV and once it takes affect, I'll start to numb your leg. I'll start with a low dose of the sedation but I'll up it if need be. You'll probably feel a little drowsy and it's okay to sleep. Don't worry, I won't let anything you might say or do while under the effects of the drug be used against you. Sound good?"

Jules nodded. Sam pulled a stool up close to the table as the doctor injected the contents of the syringe into a port on the IV. Sam started to take Jules's other hand in his but stopped, unsure if he should. Dr. Flowers noticed.

"Go ahead, you can hold her hand, talk to her. Whatever. I won't let anything you say or do be held against you either. I'm going to set up a drape at her waist so you won't see too much of what I'm doing. Even if you can handle it, there's no reason why you should have to."

After she set up the cloth barrier, she removed the blanket covering Jules's wounded leg. Sam could tell the drug was taking affect because he'd watched as her eyes sort of glazed over. The doctor looked up toward Jules's head. "How are you feeling there?"

"Why am I floatin'?" Even her words sounded slurred. The doctor smiled.

"Just enjoy the ride." Then Dr. Flowers looked at Sam. "I think we're about ready to begin. I'll get her leg numbed and then we'll take care of this spike problem."

Sam knew she was referring to the metal shards and not their friend. He still wasn't sure what was bothering Spike but he had a feeling no little miracle shot was going to fix it.


End file.
